An American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) special COVID-19 report examining the state of travel finds that airlines are meeting the needs of customers in several key categories including boarding satisfaction, timeliness and cleanliness.
Report: Southwest Top Airline Among Passengers Right Now
The report is based on surveys conducted with U.S. consumers between April 1 and September 30, 2020. ACSI compares data from that period to the 12 months leading up to March 2020, just about the time many areas of the U.S. started locking down because of the coronavirus.
Of course, many airlines have had to lay off workers and slash routes due to low customer demand. And money expert Clark Howard still wants you to be cautious about air travel right now.
The report shows that the airline industry has continued to please its customers, which is evident from the overall increase in ACSI scores.
Here are some key findings from the report, which is scored on a 100-point scale:
- Passenger satisfaction with the airline industry as a whole reached a record score of 76, which is a 1.3% gain over its pre-pandemic score.
- Southwest Airlines is tops among customers when it comes to the check-in process and overall value.
- Delta Air Lines rose to second place for the first time since 2004.
Wondering how your favorite airline fared? Let’s look at how passengers ranked the airlines during the first part of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Top Airlines for Customer Satisfaction Amid COVID
| Airlines | April through September 2020 | Previous Period % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 80 | 1% |
| Delta Air Lines | 79 | 3% |
| Alaska Airlines | 78 | 0% |
| JetBlue Airways | 76 | -3% |
| United Airlines | 76 | 1% |
| All Others | 74 | 6% |
| American Airlines | 73 | -1% |
| Allegiant Airlines | 72 | -3% |
| Frontier Airlines | 68 | 3% |
| Spirit Airlines | 67 | 3% |
| Airlines (Average) | 76 | 1.3% |
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See the complete (ACSI) COVID-19 special report on travel.
Final Thought
Clark wants you to be as safe as possible, which may mean not traveling at all right now. If you do choose to travel, we recommend you follow these recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
If you’re planning to travel by air, you should also make sure you:
- Decide if you need travel insurance
- Keep the airline's customer service contacts handy
- Know the airline's cancellation policy
Planning a trip and want to know the best way to save? Here is Clark's #1 rule for cheap travel.
More Travel Resources From Clark.com:
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