As Airline Satisfaction Climbs to Record Highs, Line Blurs between Low-Cost and Traditional Carriers, J.D. Power Finds

Alaska Airlines Ranks Highest among Traditional
Carriers for 12th Consecutive Year; JetBlue Airways and Southwest
Airlines Tie for Highest Rank among Low-Cost Carriers

TORONTO & COSTA MESA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Is this golden age of air travel? According to the J.D. Power 2019 North
America Airline Satisfaction Study,^SM released today, a
combination of newer planes, better ticket value and improved customer
touchpoints have driven overall satisfaction with airlines to its
highest point in history, up 11 points (on a 1,000-point scale) from
last year’s record-setting performance. The surge is driven by
significant improvements among traditional carriers, while satisfaction
slowed with low-cost carriers.

“Airlines continue to deliver on the operational side of air travel,”
said Michael Taylor, Travel Intelligence Lead at J.D. Power.
“New technology investments have dramatically improved the reservation
and check-in process. Fleets are newer and travelers generally feel that
they are getting great value for their money. These improvements have
been most profound in the traditional carrier segment, where customer
satisfaction has climbed considerably.

“While low-cost carriers have historically had the highest levels of
customer satisfaction in our study, due to a strong sense of value for
money among customers, that line is starting to blur as traditional
carriers improve their services and operations,” Taylor added. “The one
area where both traditional and low-cost carriers can still improve,
however, is in in-flight services. It continues to be the lowest-ranked
factor in the study, as many airlines still struggle with in-flight
entertainment, connectivity, in-seat power and food service.”

Following are some of the key findings of the 2019 study:

• Record-high customer satisfaction: Overall satisfaction with
  airlines increases 11 points to 773, continuing an eight-year trend of
  satisfaction improvement.
• Improvement driven by traditional carriers: This year’s
  significant gains in customer satisfaction are driven by the
  traditional carriers, whose segment satisfaction score improves 22
  points from 2018. The low-cost segment—while still having higher
  overall satisfaction than the traditional carrier segment—declines 6
  points from 2018, thus driving a segment convergence in satisfaction.
• Tech investments in reservation and check-in systems pay off: The
  reservation and check-in experiences are the most satisfying portions
  of the airline experience, driven by investments in digital check-in
  technologies, self-service kiosks and a concerted effort among
  airlines to improve the efficiency of the pre-flight process.
• In-flight service remains a stumbling block: In-flight
  services, such as seatback entertainment, food service and Wi-Fi
  continue to be the lowest-ranked part of the air traveler experience.
  Specific in-flight amenities that have the greatest positive effect on
  customer satisfaction are fresh food, seatback games and seatback live
  television.

Study Rankings

Among traditional carriers, Alaska Airlines ranks highest
for the 12th consecutive year, with a score of 801. Delta Air
Lines (788) ranks second and American Airlines (764)
ranks third.

Among low-cost carriers, JetBlue Airways (817) and Southwest
Airlines (817) rank highest in a tie. For Southwest, this is the
third consecutive year at the top of the J.D. Power ranking.

Among Canada-based airlines, Air Canada (729) saw its customer
satisfaction score decline 5 points from 2018. WestJet (758) saw
its score increase 11 points but remains below the low-cost carrier
average.

The North America Airline Satisfaction Study, now in its 15^th year,
measures passenger satisfaction with airline carriers in North America
based on performance in seven factors (in order of importance): cost and
fees; in-flight services; aircraft; boarding/deplaning/baggage; flight
crew; check-in; and reservation. The study measures passenger
satisfaction among both business and leisure travelers and is based on
responses from 5,966 passengers who flew on a major North American
airline between March 2018 and March 2019. The study was fielded from
April 2018 through March 2019.

For more information about the North America Airline Satisfaction Study,
visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/resource/jd-power-north-america-airline-satisfaction-study.

See the online press release at http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2019078.

Join the conversation on social media using #AirlineStudy and
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J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory
services and data and analytics. These capabilities enable J.D. Power to
help its clients drive customer satisfaction, growth and profitability.
Established in 1968, J.D. Power has offices serving North America, South
America, Asia Pacific and Europe.

About J.D. Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

NOTE: Two charts follow.

J.D. Power
2019 North America Airline Satisfaction Study^SM

Traditional Carrier Satisfaction Index Ranking
(Based on a
1,000-point scale)

Low-Cost Carrier Satisfaction Index Ranking
(Based on a
1,000-point scale)

Charts and graphs extracted from this press release for use by the
media must be accompanied by a statement identifying J.D. Power as the
publisher and the study from which it originated as the source. Rankings
are based on numerical scores, and not necessarily on statistical
significance. No Advertising or other promotional use can be made of the
information in this release or J.D. Power survey results without the
express prior written consent of J.D. Power.

Contacts

Media Relations Contacts
Gal Wilder, Cohn & Wolfe;
647-259-3261; [email protected]
Sandy
Caetano, Cohn & Wolfe; 647-259-3288: [email protected]
Geno
Effler, J.D. Power; Costa Mesa, Calif.; 714-621-6224; [email protected]