Airline travel is back to pre-pandemic levels and with predictions of summer travel breaking all-time records, you may need to choose your airline wisely.
We’re breaking down Consumer Reports’ latest survey on the airlines that rank the highest for customer satisfaction.
Jose Duran is an avid traveler, who blogs about his trips around the globe.
While getting there can be half the fun, he says sometimes traveling by air is no fun at all.
“In June of last year, I was in San Francisco, I had the last flight, the red eye back to New York, and that flight ended up being canceled and that created a whole cascade of events that spiraled out of control really,” Duran, a travel blogger said. “They canceled on us at the last minute.”
Consumer Reports surveyed over 17,000 of its members about nearly 33,000 flights – asking about everything from ease of check-in to delays, cleanliness, and price.
The airline with the top overall satisfaction score for economy travel was Hawaiian Airlines.
The big three – Delta, United, and American were in the middle, and Frontier Airlines was at the bottom of the list.
It’s no surprise that members who took business or first-class flights were more satisfied than those who flew coach, where traveler’s top gripe related to airline seats!
“Twenty-six percent of folks in coach reported either being uncomfortable, booked in the wrong seat, or not able to sit with family!” Tian Wang with Consumer Reports said.
Twenty percent of travelers had gripes related to flight schedules, things like delays, reschedules, and cancellations, yet most people surveyed did not formally complain to the airline.
“Whatever your air travel issues – it’s important to log complaints with the airline while you are still at the airport,” Wang said. “If you’re stranded, you may be owed meals or a hotel room, or even money if you’ve bumped from your flight!”
You can visit the Department of Transportation’s Aviation Consumer Protection website, for a list of what each airline offers in the event of a controllable delay or cancellation.