It's been a good week for business-class deal hunters. We saw incredible Air France Flying Blue business-class award space earlier this week and then stumbled upon first-class flights to Hawaii as low as 40,000 each way.
08.05.2024 - 10:13 / thepointsguy.com / Airlines
Which airlines get the highest ratings from passengers? A major consumer analytics firm's latest report offers some answers.
Delta Air Lines received leading scores among passengers who recently flew in first-class, business-class or premium economy cabins, according to results unveiled Wednesday from J.D. Power's 2024 North American Airline Satisfaction Study.
Southwest Airlines led the way among economy travelers, and Delta came in second place.
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J.D. Power's annual airline rankings incorporate survey results from recent travelers on a slew of factors that contribute to the air travel experience. Factors include ease of travel, interactions with staff, on-board experience and value for price paid.
This year's rankings focused on airline performance between March 2023 and March 2024, as determined by surveys taken by passengers who flew the previous month.
Like recent years, the rankings are separated into three categories: first and business class, premium economy, and economy/basic economy.
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Here's how major North American carriers fared.
Average score: 701
This year's business/first class results saw Delta leapfrog JetBlue for the top spot after the Long Island City-based carrier's Mint product landed the airline the top spot in this category a year ago.
Delta continues to place a heavy focus on its premium offerings, noting in numerous recent quarterly reports that revenue growth in its premium cabins has outpaced economy.
Delta also led the way in premium economy satisfaction. Here are the results:
Average score: 675
The rankings for economy include a far longer (and different-looking) list. It encompasses both the network carriers and budget airlines — the latter of which don't have premium cabins.
Average score: 613
That Southwest took the top spot in the pivotal economy class rankings is noteworthy, considering the evaluation period started just months after its holiday 2022 meltdown.
Southwest poured more than a billion dollars into improving its operational reliability in the wake of that December 2022 chaos. It bolstered winter weather ground equipment and overhauled its technology and internal processes.
Between March 1, 2023, and Feb. 29, 2024, Southwest canceled a mere 0.8% of flights, though close to a quarter were delayed, according to data from FlightAware analyzed by TPG.
The airline also fared far better this past holiday season. Although the airline has hinted at possible future changes to its product offerings, it continues to offer consumer-friendly options like two free checked bags, open seating and no change fees.
J.D. Power's report
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