In March 2020, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways shared top honors for customer satisfaction among North American airlines on short-haul flights, with 839 and 833. The segment average stood at 798.
Low-cost carriers in North America
The two North American low-cost carriers with whom customers are most satisfied are also the two largest. In terms of both revenue and passengers, Southwest and JetBlue are among the world’s largest low-cost carriers, with Southwest being the undisputed segment leader. However, the comparison with airlines like Spirit and Frontier is perhaps a little unfair, as these latter two are both ultra low-cost carriers. Accordingly, their primary goal of providing lower ticket prices can lead to a reduced focus on customer convenience, for example, by having fewer flights between less-accessible secondary airports.
Satisfaction with low-cost versus full-service carriers
Not only are Southwest and JetBlue outperforming other low-cost carriers in term of customer satisfaction, but they are also outperforming most full-service carriers. In 2019, Southwest and JetBlue received customer satisfaction index scores well above the U.S. airline industry average and higher than all three of the legacy carriers - Delta, United and American. A similar story occurred in Canada, with Air Canada receiving significantly more consumer complaints than WestJet in the financial year of 2018-2019.
North American airline satisfaction index scores on short-haul flights as of March 2020*
* The index score is based on responses from10,100 passengers who flew on a major North American airline on long-haul and short-haul flights within the past month. Index scores are based on a 1,000-point scale.
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J.D. Power. (May 27, 2020). North American airline satisfaction index scores on short-haul flights as of March 2020* [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/321687/customer-satisfaction-with-low-cost-airlines-in-north-america/
J.D. Power. "North American airline satisfaction index scores on short-haul flights as of March 2020*." Chart. May 27, 2020. Statista. Accessed November 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/321687/customer-satisfaction-with-low-cost-airlines-in-north-america/
J.D. Power. (2020). North American airline satisfaction index scores on short-haul flights as of March 2020*. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: November 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/321687/customer-satisfaction-with-low-cost-airlines-in-north-america/
J.D. Power. "North American Airline Satisfaction Index Scores on Short-haul Flights as of March 2020*." Statista, Statista Inc., 27 May 2020, https://www.statista.com/statistics/321687/customer-satisfaction-with-low-cost-airlines-in-north-america/
J.D. Power, North American airline satisfaction index scores on short-haul flights as of March 2020* Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/321687/customer-satisfaction-with-low-cost-airlines-in-north-america/ (last visited November 21, 2024)
North American airline satisfaction index scores on short-haul flights as of March 2020* [Graph], J.D. Power, May 27, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/321687/customer-satisfaction-with-low-cost-airlines-in-north-america/