This airline scored best in customer satisfaction, study says. How did others do?

Miami Herald

25-04-2025

As the summer travel season draws near, millions of Americans are expected to fly.
Recent data shows passenger satisfaction has taken a dive, however.
Satisfaction with U.S. airlines fell 4% year-over-year after the industry scored a record high in 2024, sliding from 77 to 73 out of 100, according to an American Customer Satisfaction Index travel survey.
Some carriers fared better than others when it came to keeping customers happy, as Southwest Airlines roared to the top of the list with an ACSI score of 80, the report showed.
The Dallas-based airline was one of two carriers to see improvement, bumping Alaska Airlines from the No. 1 spot, according to an ACSI news release. Delta and JetBlue held steady at 77 while Alaska fell to 76 from 82, a 7% downturn, data show.
The survey, published April 22, measured travelers' experience across multiple industries including airlines, lodging and car rentals, the release said. Results are based on polls conducted over a year ending in March 2025, and scores are measured out of 100.
Customer satisfaction fell across the board, with researchers citing 'softening demand' and economic uncertainty, data show.
'Across much of the travel segment, the satisfaction drop is being driven not by bargain hunters, but by business travelers and other high-value customers,' Forrest Morgeson, director of research emeritus at the ACSI, said in the release.
'With spending patterns under pressure and pricing power fading, providers are going to need to work harder to deliver consistent value across all customer segments,' he said.
Among U.S. airlines, customer experience benchmarks ranged from the quality of carrier's in-flight Wi-Fii and ease of check-in, to cleanliness of the flight cabin and baggage handling, according to the report.
American Airlines saw the biggest dip in overall satisfaction among its competitors, sliding 8% to 73 from 79 the year prior, according to the ACSI survey.
The report pointed to higher rates of passengers unexpectedly bumped from their flights compared to other airlines, drawing the ire of customers already frustrated by the carrier's 'frequency of the delayed, interrupted, and changed flights.'
'American's lost ground among these customers also results from the rollout of its new loyalty program, which was generally poorly received,' according to the index.