Passenger Satisfaction With Airlines Declining Rapidly in North America

Flyers Are Less Satisfied With Airlines: J.D.Power

Passenger satisfaction with airlines is dwindling as costs rise and pandemic service adjustments persist. According to the J.D. Power 2022 North America Airline Satisfaction Study, tension and irritation are returning alongside passengers as air travel recovers. The drop in 2022’s satisfaction rating comes after two years of record-high marks in the J.D. Power assessment.

“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, highlighting the study’s findings. “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.”

According to J.D. Power’s 2022 report, travelers were dissatisfied with skyrocketing rates as consumers returned quicker than airlines could boost up operations following pandemic reductions. Passengers in first and business class appear to be particularly dissatisfied with the limited food and beverage offerings.

“Premium travelers expect free beverages,” according to J.D. Power.

Overall, the industry’s satisfaction score was 798 on a 1,000-point scale, a 21-point reduction from J.D. Power’s previous high of 819 in 2021. The research is based on replies from 7,004 passengers who traveled on a major North American airline between the United States and Canada during a 12- month window through March 2022.

JetBlue ranked first in both the business and premium economy categories. This is even though JetBlue’s “Mint” business-class seat is only accessible on certain flights in the United States and the airline does not provide a genuine “premium economy” seat.

However, J.D. Power classified JetBlue’s “Even More Space” seats, which provide an extra 7 inches of legroom, as premium economy. JetBlue’s good performance comes amid an unusually turbulent year for the airline. The airline launched a bid to purchase cheap rival Spirit Airlines, which was turned down, and is currently dealing with a springtime slew of delays and cancellations.