Airline Passenger Satisfaction Dropped, According To Survey

Passenger satisfaction with airlines has shown decline among both leisure and business travelers, according to a survey by J.D. Power and Associates released Wednesday.

According to the 2012 North America Airline Satisfaction Study, which ranks satisfaction on a 1,000 point scale, satisfaction with the industry dropped two points (from 683 to 681) from last year. Among traditional carriers, the level of satisfaction dropped four points, to 647. Budget carriers fared better, seeing a three-point increase in satisfaction to 754.

The survey of more than 13,500 passengers bases satisfaction on factors including cost and fees, in-flight services, boarding/deplaning/baggage, flight crew, aircraft, check-in and reservations.

According to a press release, checked beg fees are a particular area of customer irritation. Satisfaction among passengers who pay to check bags averages 85 points lower than those who don't. Also important are factors of an airline's process and people, which appear to outweigh price when it comes to a passenger's decision to fly the airline again.

Wonder how the new $100 bag fees are going to affect this.

In the "traditional" airline category, Alaska Airlines ranked highest for the fifth year in a row, with JetBlue taking top honors in the "low-cost" carrier segment for a seventh year.

How did all the airlines rank? Check out the slideshow below. To see how the airlines fared in each of the seven categories, check out the survey results here.