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J.D. Power confirms: North American airlines suck

June 19, 2007

No matter how J.D. Power and Associates tries to spin the results of its 2007 North America Airline Satisfaction Study one conclusion is inescapable: domestic airlines are dreadful.

Consider the “winner” of J.D.’s award for best traditional network airline, Continental Airlines. It received an overall score of just 704 out of 1,000. This morning’s press release made it seem like a victory, noting that Continental had improved “in six measures: reservations, check-in, boarding/deplaning/baggage, aircraft [and] flight crew.”

Yeah, but that’s still a C- on a traditional grading scale.

Continental deserves no award for that kind of performance. It deserves to go to the principal’s office.

Among “low-cost” airlines, JetBlue snagged the top spot with a slightly more respectable grade of a B- (810 points), “despite severe delays and flight cancellations caused by weather and computer malfunctions in the past year,” according to the J.D. press release.

The awards are completely meaningless, of course.

And there is so much about J.D.’s methodology and disclosure that trouble me, I wouldn’t know where to begin my critique.

But I wonder …

Why segment “traditional” and “low cost” airlines, unless you just wanted to create a feel-good award for legacy airlines that are almost totally incapable of making their customers happy?

Why does the announcement about the awards only selectively release scores by airline? Is J.D. trying to protect underperforming carriers from embarrassment — or just trying to sell more reports?

And what’s the point of giving an award to any business that has a pattern of taking its best customers for granted? Do lists of the “best if the worst” serve anyone except J.D. Power?

Just curious.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

4 comments

  • David Smith

    Hello, Chris…from Palma de Mallorca, one of the points on my RTW on LCCs.

    It would be closer to the truth if the heading were to read U.S. Airlines rather than North American airlines.

    As an Air Canada Super Elite (*A Gold), I know that AC is supposed to be the top carrier in N.A.

    Unfortunately, in this article, AC would be grouped with US, DL, and below jetBlue (àn airline I happen to admire BTW).

    Anyways, wherever we are, I hope we aren´t down there.

  • Randy B

    LOL. You make CAL sound like the bad guy. It won! Who had the worst score? How about a comprehensive list. I’ve seen this news several other places and they more or less praised CAL for having the best score, and listed the several areas that CAL’s score went up.

    Who gives you upgrades? UAL? AA? Delta?

  • http://myspace.com/airlinegangstalkers Gina R

    American AIrlines sucks. I was assaulted by pilots out of O’hare and Gerard Arpey knows about this problem, but does nothing. A filthy CEO with his own agenda.

    Check out:

    myspace.com/airlinegangstalkers

  • BO

    I have met flight attendants out of O’hare and Dallas and I have every reason to believe they are not really flight attendants. After talking with them, I realized they were severally mentally impaired and did not know anything about the aircraft.

    There is something suspicious about AA. When you fly make sure the FAs are really FAs and not pilot entertainment. Is there a Felon program at O’hare AA?

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