- A major consumer survey found that Alaska Airlines is the most popular airline in the US for the second year running.
- The airline topped the American Customer Satisfaction Index, despite its infamous panel blowout in January.
Alaska Airlines is the most popular airline in the US for the second year running, according to a major consumer survey.
The airline comfortably topped the annual American Customer Satisfaction Index with a score of 82, a one-point improvement compared to 2023.
American Airlines was second with 79 points, while low-cost carrier Allegiant Air beat better-known legacy names like United and Delta to take third place. Allegiant registered a four-point rise in overall customer satisfaction, making it one of the fastest climbers this year.
United Airlines was the only carrier to lose ground, sliding three points to a score of 75.
The index, which has been running since 1994, tracks customer satisfaction across five travel industries — airlines, car rentals, lodging, online travel agencies, and ridesharing platforms.
To determine the rankings, 16,352 customers were asked to rate their experiences with companies based on nineteen different factors, such as ease of making a reservation, check-in process, cleanliness of cabin and lavatory, courtesy and helpfulness of flight crew, and timeliness of arrival. By collating this information, the American Customer Satisfaction Index says it provides a "definitive measure of passenger satisfaction."
Alaska Airline's top ranking comes despite the airline's nightmare safety incident in January 2024, during which a decommissioned door plug flew off during one of its flights at an altitude of 16,000 feet.
The plane, a Boeing 737 Max 9 made a safe landing back at Portland International Airport 35 minutes after takeoff, with all 177 people on board surviving.
14 passengers on the flight have since filed a class-action lawsuit against Boeing and Alaska Airlines, asking for monetary damages to cover injuries sustained during the incident and claims that some oxygen masks malfunctioned.
US airlines are getting better
Overall, the data found that customers were increasingly happy with airline travel, with ratings for all nineteen areas of customer satisfaction across airlines either improving or staying level with responses from 2023.
The polled customers were particularly happy with app services, the ease of making reservations, and airlines' websites, pointing to the importance of developing customer-friendly technology offerings.
As they become happier with travel experiences, customers are also travelling more. This February, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported a 21.5% rise in global air passengers compared to the previous year.