According to a recent MarketTools study on travelers' flying experiences over the past six months, 43% of the passengers were not specifically "satisfied" with comfort aboard the
plane, 41% were not satisfied with ticket prices and fees, and 34% were not satisfied with in-flight service.
Passenger Satisfaction (% of total respondents) |
| Extremely Dissatisfied | Somewhat Dissatisfied | Neutral | Somewhat Satisfied | Extremely satisfied | N/A |
Ticket-buying experience | 2% | 3% | 11% | 34% | 45% | 6% |
Pre-boarding experience2% | 6% | 17% | 41% | 33% | 1% | |
In-flight
service | 4% | 10% | 20% | 35% | 30% | 1% |
Comfort aboard the plane | 5% | 13% | 25% | 34% | 23% | 0% |
On-time performance of the
flight | 4% | 6% | 14% | 33% | 43% | 0% |
The cost of ticket and fees | 6% | 13% | 22% | 35% | 20% | 4% |
Source:
MarketTools, May 2011 |
Justin Schuster, vice president of enterprise products at MarketTools, says that "... despite the fact that dissatisfaction
with key elements of airline travel remains high... only 30% of travelers had ever been asked to provide feedback to an airline via a customer survey or other means... and... 75% (of those) did not
receive any type of follow-up from the airline... "
Has an airline ever asked you to provide feedback via a customer survey or other means
- Yes... 30%
- No...
59%
- Don't know/Don't remember... 12%
10% of respondents have used social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to share complaints about poor airline
experiences, but only 24% of those who communicated their complaints through social media received a response directly from the airline.
Contact To Submit Feedback Or Complaint (% Of Respondents) |
Contact
Type | % of Respondents |
Via the airline's website | 41% |
Email to a customer service department | 35% |
Email to a specific individual at the airline (executive or manager) | 6% |
Phone call to customer service department | 31% |
Phone call to a specific
individual at the airline (executive or manager) | 6% |
Letter to a customer service department | 16% |
Letter to a specific individual at the airline (executive or manager) | 6% |
Contacted airline via social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) | 2% |
Other | 6% |
Source:
MarketTools, May 2011 |
Despite the U.S. Department of Transportation's efforts to improve the airline passenger experience, 55% of passengers surveyed
were unaware of the Passenger Bill of Rights (passenger protection rules.)
54% of those surveyed had experienced at least one of the issues covered by the DOT airline passenger protection
rules. The top five issues experienced by respondents include:
- Lack of notification about flight delays of more than 30 minutes (28%)
- Incorrect/inadequate information
about flight delays (24%)
- Lengthy aircraft delay on the tarmac (more than three hours without deplaning) (18%)
- Lack of airline response to a complaint about flight delays or
cancellations (14%)
- Hidden fees/unexpected fees added during the ticket-buying process (14%)
When asked which domestic airline the respondents believed provided the
best customer service, Southwest Airlines was cited most often, followed by Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airlines. American Airlines and Continental Airlines tied for fourth place.
Airline Believed To Have Best Customer Service |
Airline | % of Respondents |
Southwest
Airlines | 34% |
Delta Air Lines | 14% |
JetBlue Airways | 11% |
American Airlines | 7% |
Continental Airlines | 7% |
United Airlines | 5% |
Virgin America | 5% |
AirTran Airways | 4% |
US
Airways | 3% |
Alaska Airlines | 3% |
Frontier Airlines | 2% |
Hawaiian Airlines | 1% |
Other domestic airline | 4% |
Source: MarketTools, May 2011 |
Key takeaways according to the study:
- Passengers are most dissatisfied with
the overall comfort aboard the plane
- 10% of respondents have used social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to share complaints about poor airline experiences
- Only 24% of
those who communicated their complaints through social media received a response directly from the airline.
- Only 30% of travelers had ever been asked to provide feedback to an airline via a
customer survey or other means
- 45% are unaware of the airline passenger protection rules
- 54% of those surveyed had experienced at least one of the issues covered by the DOT
Passenger Bill of Rights
- Southwest Airlines was cited most often for best customer service
For additional information,
please visit MarketTools here.