North America airlines see drop in travel satisfaction due to flight cost

J.D. Power's 2023 North American Airline Satisfaction Study saw the average satisfaction rating drop a further seven points. Photo / 123rf

Airline passengers were less satisfied with service in 2022 than they were in 2021, according to an annual study by consumer research company JD Power.

As pandemic-era travel restrictions lift and tourism continues its recovery, one would think travellers would feel better about hopping on a plane and travelling.

One would be wrong, according to the 2023 North American Airline Satisfaction Study, which quizzed more than 7770 travellers about recent experiences with North American airlines.

The annual study found satisfaction for flights taken between March 2022 and March 2023 dropped seven points compared to the previous year.

This means, on average, passengers were less satisfied with airlines during most of 2022 than in 2021, when many pandemic-related travel restrictions including masking and vaccine mandates, were in place.

Average satisfaction dropped seven points, to 791 out of 10000.

Cost a key cause of discontent

High airfares were a primary reason people were dissatisfied according to Michael Taylor, a travel intelligence lead at JD Power.

“Continued high prices for travel” was the “biggest factor”, Taylor told CNN Travel.

Aside from thigh ticket prices, other issues vexing travellers included reduced routes and staffing shortages.

High fliers happier than previous year

However, not all travellers were less content with their flying experience. On average, first-class and business-class passengers provided predominantly positive feedback and gave a higher rating than the previous year.

Taylor said this was likely because airlines could restart high-tier services such as food and drink services, as pandemic restrictions eased.

“In-flight services (food, beverage, entertainment) is the biggest factor for these upper-class cabins,” Taylor explained.

“The ability to ‘get what is expected’ is sort of a rising tide that lifts all factors for these passengers.”

Best North America airlines revealed

Survey respondents were also asked to rate various experiences including booking, boarding, check-in, flight crew, baggage handling and the aircraft itself.

Southwest Airlines returned the best results for economy passengers, for the second year running. Delta Air Lines was ranked second and JetBlue Airways was ranked third.

First class and business class travelers rated JetBlue as the best, followed by Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.

Advice for unhappy travellers

For those who have a less-than-ideal flight experience, Taylor said it’s important to remember aviation is still in an “unusual situation”.

High demand and lack of crew meant airlines were not able to provide pre-pandemic levels of service, he explained. A shortage of pilots in North America also meant “planes will be fuller and there will be fewer options in air travel until more pilots can be trained and qualified”.

Best-Rated 2023 North American Airlines for economy passengers

1. Southwest Airlines

2. Delta Air Lines

3. JetBlue Airways

4. Alaska Airlines

5. WestJet

6. Allegiant Air

7. United Airlines

8. Air Canada

9. American Airlines

10. Spirit Airlines