The crowds are back at the airport, those empty middle seats are occupied again and airlines in North America are raising ticket prices in response to higher fuel costs and continued strong leisure travel demand—all at the expense of passenger satisfaction. This was found in J.D. Power's “2022 North America Airline Satisfaction Study,” which also revealed that JetBlue Airways ranks highest in customer satisfaction in the first/business segment and in the premium economy segment.
“Customer satisfaction with North American airlines climbed to unprecedented highs for all of the wrong reasons during the past two years,” said Michael Taylor, travel intelligence lead at J.D. Power, the consumer research and data analytics firm based in Troy, MI. “Fewer passengers meant more space on airplanes, less waiting in line and more attention from flight attendants. But that business model was simply not sustainable. Now, with volumes surging and some remnants of pandemic-era constraints still in place, passenger satisfaction is in decline—but that’s not really bad news. If airlines can find ways to manage these growing volumes while making some small adjustments to help passengers feel more valued, they should be able to manage this return to ‘normal.’”
Here are some of the key highlights of the report.
- Overall passenger satisfaction across all three study segments—first/business, premium economy and economy/basic economy—is 798 (on a 1,000-point scale), down more than 20 points from a year ago. Passenger satisfaction with cost, flight crew and aircraft has all declined in this year’s study.
- Premium passengers want their free beverages. Remnants of pandemic-era restrictions, including the suspension of alcohol service in premium class has driven sharp declines in passenger satisfaction with regard to food and beverage offerings. Food and beverage satisfaction scores in 2022 have declined 38 points in the premium economy segment and 12 points in the first/business segment. By contrast, food and beverage satisfaction scores have increased 7 points in the economy/basic economy segment.
- With surging fuel prices and rising demand driving a 20 percent increase in average airfares through March 2022, cost continues to be a significant factor in passenger satisfaction. Overall satisfaction with cost and fees has declined in the premium economy segment (-66 points); in the economy/basic economy segment (-33); and in the first/business segment (-21).
- JetBlue Airways ranks highest in customer satisfaction in the first/business segment with a score of 878. Alaska Airlines (876) ranks second and Delta Air Lines (862) ranks third.
- JetBlue Airways also ranks highest in customer satisfaction in the premium economy segment with a score of 851. Delta Air Lines (837) ranks second and Alaska Airlines (825) ranks third.
- Southwest Airlines ranks highest in customer satisfaction in the economy/basic economy segment with a score of 849. JetBlue Airways (828) ranks second and Delta Air Lines (813) ranks third.
The “2022 North America Airline Satisfaction Study” measures passenger satisfaction with airline carriers in North America based on performance in eight factors: aircraft; baggage; boarding; check-in; cost and fees; flight crew; in-flight services; and reservation. The study measures passenger satisfaction in three segments—first/business, premium economy and economy/basic economy—and is based on responses from 7,004 passengers. Passengers needed to have flown on a major North America airline within the past month of completing a survey. The study was fielded from March 2021 through March 2022.
Source: J.D. Power
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