Airlines Rated Worse than the IRS for Customer Satisfaction

The latest data from the University of Michigan’s American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) confirms what airline passengers already knows: air travel stinks!

Since the first ACSI survey was completed in 1994, customer satisfaction with the airline industry has declined 13% to a score of 63 out of a possible 100 points. That’s lower than the U.S. Postal Service. It is even lower than the Internal Revenue Service! In fact, of the nearly 50 industries included in the index, only one fared worse than airlines: the cable and satellite TV industry.

The largest declines in year-over-year customer satisfaction were for United (-11%) and Delta (-8%). The only increases in the industry were for Southwest (+3%) Continental (+3%), and the “all others” category that includes the smaller carriers (+1%).

These ratings underscore two points I have made in recent postings:

1. Airlines are simply incapable of delivering a satisfying customer experience (”Can Airlines Deliver Customer Satisfaction? Not a Chance!” March 26, 2007).
2. Therefore, they should stop promising one (”Should airlines stop promising customer satisfaction?” April 4, 2007).

It is interesting to note that for the airlines, none of this really matters much. Even though air travel is an inherently dissatisfying experience, there is no practical alternative for long-distance travel. Therefore, as long as safety is not in serious doubt, consumers will continue to purchase airline tickets, regardless of how much they might dislike the experience.

The bottom line: On average, consumers find air travel more unpleasant than filing taxes. However, like death and taxes, flying is unavoidable.