For most Americans, air travel isn't exactly synonymous with relaxation and luxury, and after taxpayers gave airlines a $54 million bailout during the pandemic, flying hit a new low.
Per Vice, consumer complaints about airline travel and airline performance quadrupled from 2019 to 2022, according to a report by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. Between unruly passengers and mass cancellations, a lot can — and does — go wrong on a regular basis.
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Although the high demand for air travel is increasing airlines' revenue, customer satisfaction has continued to fall over the past year — and some carriers should be more worried about reputation damage than others, per a new study by data analytics firm J.D. Power reported by CBS News.
"While these drawbacks have not yet put a dent in leisure travel demand, if this trend continues, travelers will reach a breaking point and some airline brands may be damaged," said Michael Taylor, travel intelligence lead at data analytics firm J.D. Power, in a statement.
J.D. Power surveyed 7,774 passengers who flew commercially between March 2022 and March 2023, measuring their satisfaction based on how they rated certain criteria on a 1,000-point scale: making reservations, the check-in and boarding experiences, baggage handling, the quality of the aircraft and staff, in-flight services and costs and fees.
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Here's what the findings revealed about Americans' least favorite airlines in the U.S.
First/Business class
Best airlines
- JetBlue Airways (893)
- Delta Air Lines (865)
- United Airlines (848)
Worst airlines
- American Airlines (826)
- Alaska Airlines (833)
Premium Economy
Best airlines
- Delta Air Lines (848)
- JetBlue Airways (840)
- Alaska (823)
Worst airlines
- United Airlines (784)
- American Airlines (821)
Economy/Basic Economy
Best airlines
- Southwest Airlines (827)
- Delta Air Lines (801)
- JetBlue Airways (800)
Worst airlines
- Frontier Airlines (705)
- Spirit Airlines (727)
- American Airlines (764)
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