Passenger Satisfaction With U.S. Airlines Hits a 10-Year High

Flyers are more satisfied with their airline experience than they've been in the last decade, and its not just because fares have decreased, according to J.D. Power's 2016 North America Airline Satisfaction Study. Now that the major U.S. airlines are profitable, they're putting money back into the customer experience. JetBlue is ranked number one in overall satisfaction, followed by Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines. "Airline performance is finally getting better in a lot of operational respects and we know that airlines are really making money now," said Rick Garlick, global travel and hospitality practice lead at J.D. Power. "It's nice to see that they're actually investing that into new aircraft and in-flight services. They're adding a lot of value for the customer. Our data show that individuals are having a greater tolerance for these increased fees; the satisfaction of people who say they had to pay for bags and other services went up." J.D. Power's research fou