Airline Travel Satisfaction Down Ahead Of Summer, Here’s Why

Overall satisfaction with airline travel in North America has seen a significant drop. As COVID-19 pandemic restrictions loosened around the world and people began to travel again, a rise in demand did not come with a rise in traveler satisfaction.

A new study from J.D. Power, "The North America Airline Satisfaction Study," found that with higher fuel costs and ticket prices as demand increases post-pandemic, customer satisfaction has fallen.

"With volumes surging and some remnants of pandemic-era constraints still in place, passenger satisfaction is in decline," said Michael Taylor, travel intelligence lead at J.D. Power.

On a 1,000-point scale, J.D. Power surveyed 7,004 passengers who flew a North American airline from the months of March 2021 through March 2022.

Results of the survey found that customer satisfaction declined to 798 overall for business class, premium economy, and economy. That is down 20 points from 2021.

Satisfaction is down even though more restrictions were in place in 2021. The U.S. government only recently lifted mask mandates for public transportation centers.

Still, some pandemic era restrictions on planes remain, including no alcohol service in premium classes. That lack of alcohol led to a 38-point decline for premium economy travelers. It also led to a 12-point decline in satisfaction for business travelers.

According to J.D. Power, average airfare prices were up by 20% in March, which caused a decline in satisfaction. Satisfaction with prices dropped by 66 points among premium economy travelers, 33 points for economy, and 21 points for business.

However, that decline in satisfaction is not a bad thing according to J.D. Power. Pandemic-era traveling caused more changes for airlines to make to adjust to the lack of travelers. According to Taylor, customer satisfaction soared to "unprecedented highs for all the wrong reasons" during the pandemic.

Less air travel demand over the COVID-19 pandemic led to less wait time from lines at the airport. It also meant more space on airplanes with fewer passengers, and more attention from flight attendants. However, with a rise in demand for travel again, that reality no longer exists.

Taylor said airlines can bounce back.

"If airlines can . . . manage these growing volumes while making some small adjustments to help passengers feel more valued, they should be able to manage this return to ‘normal,'" said Taylor.