Airlines slip again in J.D. Power survey

Customer satisfaction with airlines has reached a four-year low, according to a J.D. Power and Associates study released Tuesday.

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines again ranked third among eight traditional network carriers in the J.D. Power North American airline satisfaction study released Tuesday. Delta came in behind top-ranked Alaska and No. 2 Continental. Those rankings mirror the results last year.

Delta Chief Executive Richard Anderson has emphasized his interest in winning the top J.D. Power ranking among network carriers and has included it in the company’s annual goals, known as the “Flight Plan.”

“We are continuing to make investments in our products and services in our quest to attain J.D. Power’s top customer service award,” Delta spokesman Kent Landers said Tuesday.

The survey ranks low-cost carriers separately, and AirTran Airways again came in at the bottom of that group. AirTran, which has its largest hub in Atlanta, was fifth behind top-ranked JetBlue, followed by Southwest, Canadian carrier WestJet and Frontier.

However, all five of the low-cost carriers scored better than any of the traditional network carriers.

Even though on-time arrival rates have improved and wait times for at check-in counters have decreased, overall customer satisfaction fell for the third straight year. Fliers are less satisfied because of fee increases, cutbacks in in-flight services and issues with helpfulness and courtesy of flight crews, according to the survey.

Westlake Village, Calif.-based J.D. Power said it surveyed more than 12,900 passengers who flew on a North American airline between April 2008 and May 2009 for the study.

Traditional network carriers, with multiple hubs and multi-cabin aircraft

Score based on 1,000 point scale

1. Alaska, 671

2. Continental, 669

3. Delta, 641

4. Air Canada, 623

5. American, 618

6. Northwest, 614

7. United, 604

8. US Airways, 599

Low cost carriers, usually with single-cabin planes and more discount fares

1. JetBlue, 750

2. Southwest, 736

3. WestJet, 736

4. Frontier, 692

5. AirTran, 687