J.D. Power, a global leader in consumer insights, data and analytics, on Wednesday (May 11) released its annual North America Airline Satisfaction Study, which ranks the best U.S. airlines based on passenger satisfaction in eight metrics, including aircraft, baggage, boarding, check-in; cost and fees, flight crew, in-flight services and reservation.
According to the J.D. Power 2022 North America Airline Satisfaction Study, SM released, “The crowds are back at the airport, those empty middle seats are occupied again and airlines in North America are raising ticket prices in response to soaring fuel costs and continued strong leisure travel demand—all at the expense of passenger satisfaction. While dramatically higher prices could harm airline brands in the long term, for now, load volume is continuing to climb and passengers are willing to be assigned a middle seat in exchange for getting out of their houses”.
“Customer satisfaction with North American airlines climbed to unprecedented highs for all of the wrong reasons during the past two years,” said Michael Taylor, travel intelligence lead at J.D. Power. “Fewer passengers meant more space on airplanes, less waiting in line and more attention from flight attendants. But that business model was simply not sustainable. Now, with volumes surging and some remnants of pandemic-era constraints still in place, passenger satisfaction is in decline—but that’s not really bad news. If airlines can find ways to manage these growing volumes while making some small adjustments to help passengers feel more valued, they should be able to manage this return to ‘normal.’”
JetBlue Airways ranks highest in customer satisfaction in the first/business segment with a score of 878.
Alaska Airlines (876) ranks second and Delta Air Lines (862) ranks third.
JetBlue Airways also ranks highest in customer satisfaction in the premium economy segment with a score of 851. Delta Air Lines (837) ranks second and Alaska Airlines (825) ranks third.
Southwest Airlines ranks highest in customer satisfaction in the economy/basic economy segment with a score of 849. JetBlue Airways (828) ranks second and Delta Air Lines (813) ranks third.
J.D. Power 2022 North America Airline Satisfaction Study
Overall Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking
(Based on a 1,000-point scale)
First/Business
| Jetblue Airways | 878 |
| Alaska Airlines | 876 |
| Delta Air Lines | 862 |
| Segment Average | 837 |
| Air Canada | 832 |
| United Airlines | 822 |
| American Airlines | 814 |
J.D. Power 2022 North America Airline Satisfaction Study
Overall Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking
(Based on a 1,000-point scale)
Premium Economy
| Jetblue Airways | 851 |
| Delta Airlines | 837 |
| Alaska Air Lines | 825 |
| Segment Average | 822 |
| American Airlines | 818 |
| United Airlines | 801 |
| Air Canada | 800 |
J.D. Power 2022 North America Airline Satisfaction Study
Overall Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking
(Based on a 1,000-point scale)
Economy / Basic Economy
| Southwest Airlines | 849 |
| Jet Blue Airways | 828 |
| Delta Airlines | 813 |
| Allegiant Air | 803 |
| Alaska Airlines | 794 |
| Segment Average | 792 |
| Air Canada | 777 |
| United Airlines | 774 |
| Spirit Airlines | 772 |
| American Airlines | 770 |
| Frontier Airlines | 755 |
| West jet | 751 |
