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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| May 25 2008, 8:25 PM EDT (current) | jimglab | 550 words added |
| May 25 2008, 8:23 PM EDT | jimglab |
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Travelers unhappy with airlines, airport experience
Two consumer surveys released last week confirm what frequent flyers already know: the experience of air travel is getting noticeably worse. The University of Michigan’s annual American Customer Satisfaction Index, which covers a variety of industries and services, found that satisfaction with airlines in 2008 dropped to its lowest point since 2001 – an overall score of 62 on a 100-point scale, down 2 points from 2007-- recording its third straight year of decline. The study includes customer satisfaction scores for individual major airlines, and it found that the four carriers with the worst scores are also the ones involved in merger talks. Delta scored 60 on the study’s 100-point scale, an improvement of 2 points from last year, while Northwest was down 7 points to 57. The lowest scores were United’s 56 (the same as 2007) and US Airways’ 54, down 12 points in a year. “When it comes to mergers, combining two negatives doesn’t make a positive,” said Claes Fornell, the founder of the index. “Passenger satisfaction is dismal, and things probably won’t get any better if airlines continue to charge more for less.” Among other airlines, both Continental and American scored 62, the industry average (although that represented a 10-point drop for Continental), while Southwest retained the number one spot at 79 (up 4 points). By contrast, the overall customer satisfaction score for the hotel industry was 75, up 6 points; Marriott, Hyatt and Hilton shared the highest score at 78 each.
Meanwhile, J.D. Power and Associates released its eighth annual customer satisfaction study of the U.S. airport experience, and it found an overall satisfaction score of 675 on its 1,000-point scale – a drop of 14 points from last year’s study. The J.D. Power survey covered more than 21,000 passengers. Before 2007, customer satisfaction with airports had risen steadily from 2002 to 2006, the company noted. “More than one in five passengers report experiencing a delay,” averaging 68 minutes, J.D. Power said. “In addition, customer satisfaction with airports is considerably lower than satisfaction levels in other aspects of the travel industry,” including hotels, rental cars and airlines. J.D. Powers’ Jim Gaz, who directs its travel surveys, noted that delays have a big impact on the airports’ scores. When travelers have to wait out a delay, “they are essentially a captive audience, and their frustration and stress levels affect their satisfaction with airport operations and amenities,” he said
The J.D. Power airport study weighs airport accessibility, baggage claim, the check-in process, terminal facilities, security checks and food and retail. . “In particular, customer satisfaction with the security check aspect of the airport experience has declined considerably since 2007,” Gaz noted. Among the 19 largest airports, Philadelphia got the highest overall customer satisfaction score, followed by Las Vegas, Orlando, Houston Bush Intercontinental and Phoenix. Minneapolis-St. Paul was at the bottom, just below San Francisco. For 21 medium-sized airports, Chicago Midway got the highest score, followed by LaGuardia, Memphis, Washington Reagan National and Tampa. Oakland ranked last, just below San Jose. Among 20 rated airports with fewer than 10 million annual passengers, Dallas Love Field got the highest score, followed by Houston Hobby, San Antonio, New Orleans and El Paso. Tucson was the lowest-ranked, just below Albuquerque.
