J.D. Power survey: Airline customer-service sinking
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J.D. Power released its latest airline quality survey today, and it showed fliers' opinion of airline customer-service has taken a nosedive. Citing the results, CNN/Dow Jones writes that "deteriorating airline customer service has helped drive flier satisfaction to its lowest level in three years, … and for many it has become an even bigger concern than higher airfares and additional fees. … The study found that customer dissatisfaction with the helpfulness and courtesy of flight staff, gate agents and crew was twice as large as dissatisfaction with pricing."
"Across the airline experience, from check-in, to the flight, to deplaning, passengers are being affected by the ramifications of carriers making staff cutbacks and have expressed that performance and attitudes of airline staff are suffering," Sam Thanawalla, director of the global hospitality and travel practice at J.D. Power and Associates, says in a statement. The survey looked at fliers' satisfaction levels for both "traditional network" and "low-cost" airlines. CNN/Money says the airlines were evaluated on the following criteria: In-flight services; aircraft; boarding, deplaning and baggage claim; and the reservation and check-in process.
As for the top airlines in the survey, JetBlue was named the top carrier -– both overall and in the low-cost category. Continental and Alaska Airlines tied for the top spot among traditional network carriers. "While nearly all of the carriers in both segments experience declines in satisfaction since 2007, Alaska Airlines has managed to improve, particularly in satisfaction with the overall check-in experience," says J.D. Powers' Thanawalla. "Alaska Airlines and Air Canada are the only two carriers that improve overall in 2008, which is a particularly impressive feat in the current volatile industry environment."
At the opposite end of the spectrum, United and Northwest tied for the bottom spot, both overall and among traditional carriers. AirTran was tabbed with the lowest satisfaction rate of the four low-cost carriers examined. Still, AirTran's score of 707 (out of a possible 1,000) in the J.D. Power survey would have placed it at the top of the traditional carrier category, where Continental and Alaska each earned top scores of 684. The Rocky Mountain News notes "the study includes opinions from nearly 20,000 passengers who flew over a 12-month period ending in March."
Today's talker: What do you think of airline surveys like this one? Are the results reliable? Do they reflect your recent experiences with the airlines? Tell us what you think.