There are many aspects to the overall air experience that airlines cannot control, said Taylor, but one area they can profoundly influence is the positive effect that airline staff has on passengers. The big takeaway from this year’s study, he said, is the power of people to positively influence the overall flight experience.
Following are some key findings of the 2024 study:
- Passengers just want it to be easy and get there safely: With airfares still high following the pandemic lull in air travel, one might expect fares to play a larger role in passenger satisfaction, but the two biggest factors driving overall airline customer satisfaction are ease of travel and trust. While things like value for price paid are important, it is more important to passengers just to have a seamless flight.
- Media coverage has a major influence on trust scores: The level of trust airline passengers have in their airline is correlated to media coverage about that airline. Overall satisfaction scores for trust are 400 points lower (on a 1,000-point scale) among passengers who saw negative news coverage of an airline’s performance in the past year.
- Investments in people pay off for top-performing carriers: The top-performing carriers in this year’s study — Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines — have made substantial investments in the people side of their business. These efforts are paying off in the form of significantly higher scores in all areas where interpersonal interactions can make a difference.
Southwest ranks highest in customer satisfaction in the economy/basic economy class segment for a third consecutive year, with a score of 685. Delta (651) ranks second, and Allegiant Air (633) ranks third.
Image: Delta News Hub
