The results of a new survey released on Tuesday May 20^th showed that passengers’ satisfaction with US airlines has dropped to its lowest level for seven years.

This survey – the American Customer Satisfaction Index – was produced by the University of Michigan. In it, the US airline industry scored, overall, just 62 points out of a possible hundred for January-March 2008.

Safety Checks, Flight Cancellations

One factor contributing to this downturn was new safety checks, leading to flight cancellations and, thus, meaning a number of airlines were viewed less positively among their customers. Additionally, the survey reported, the mounting price of jet fuel meant airlines were charging more for tickets and adding on fees.

The lowest individual airline scores were achieved by US Airways, with 54/100, and United Airlines, with 56.

Continental Airlines, meanwhile, scored 62 – a ten per cent drop – and Northwest Airlines, 57 – a seven per cent plummet.

Survey founder Claes Fornell described the results in an interview as “more of the same”.

He continued: "There is very little choice, which explains how you can get away with scores in the 50s. Those are not sustainable on any type of competitive level - they are lower than the Internal Revenue Service.”

Southwest Airlines Top of Survey

The highest score was achieved by Southwest Airlines which, with 79 per cent, topped the survey for the fifteenth consecutive year. Southwest’s rating was four per cent up: the only other large carriers to also achieve higher scores were Delta Airlines (60 – up two per cent) and American Airlines (62 – up three per cent).

Those behind the report, however, emphasised that its coverage only extended to the first three months of 2008 and, therefore, flight cancellation-heavy April was not accounted for.

Fuel Costs

Unprecedented fuel costs, as well as deterioration in the economy at large, have both acted to hamper the US airline industry’s bounce-back post-2001.

Since the beginning of 2008, six airlines have declared themselves bankrupt.

Queried on whether customers would be happier in the event of airline mergers, Fornell replied: "It could happen, but only if there are enough costs savings and economies of scale so there are some resources [left] over to take care of passengers...so far we haven't seen it in mergers and acquisitions."

As far as Air Transport Association spokesman David Castelveter was concerned, the survey was disappointing, but not unexpected.

"We are working very hard to find ways to improve the service we provide to our customers, especially given the fact we are going to pay about $18 billion more for fuel in 2008 than we did in 2007", he said.

Earlier this month, the ATA predicted that around 2.7 million fewer travellers would fly with US airlines over the summer months because of fuel prices, capacity reductions and economic conditions.

According to Castelveter, delays were at the heart of passenger’s complaints with airlines.

“Until this government begins the transformation to the modern technology to improve the air traffic control system, we are going to continue to have delays”, he said.

"And when we have delays, there is a ripple effect. Flights misconnect, bags don't make their connections, passengers are upset, complaints rise.

“We don't want any of that."

Source – Airport International’s US Correspondent

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