Airline Customer Satisfaction Nose Dives, says Survey

DDI: 144

University of Michigan has built a highly credible and widely quoted customer satisfaction index for many brands across diverse industries. This latest study shows some steep declines in customer sat for many major airline carriers. The university's methodology involves a survey on a customer's overall satisfaction with airline, likelihood to fly again with airline, and likelihood to recommend the airline to others. The three metrics create a highly stable customer loyalty index that can be tied to customer needs and business processes to improve long-term customer satisfaction and profitability. One minor flaw in UM's approach was gathering data duing the first quarter when airline customers are still reeling from the delays of the year-end holidays. But marketers who leverage airlines as a marketing tool (i.e., on-board magazines and radio spots, and video commercials) should heed UM's new numbers and re-consider near-term plans involving Delta (DDI 112, -3) and United (DDI 123, -2).