Chances are that you or someone you know will be hopping a flight during the Thanksgiving holiday. If you're like most people, you'll come back complaining about cancellations, delays, overcrowded airports, and slow security lines -- and all that was before you even boarded the plane.
How bad is flying in America these days? According to our latest survey of 7,498 fliers, released today, it's grim.
Between our first Airlines Survey in 1990, and this year's, the average customer ratings for domestic economy travel on such major carriers as American, Delta, Northwest, United and US Airways plummeted an average of 5 to 9 points on our 30-point scale. Continental was the only carrier to gain ground during the period, proving that the skies need not be all grey. Fortunately newer, smaller entrants such as Virgin America and JetBlue have proven that it's possible to overcome the industry's headwinds.
So in response to some of the more pointed comments from this year's surveyors, we thought we would take a look at the state of air flight, and suggest some ways to improve air travel. Several of our surveyors' comments point to reasons why the newer, smaller airlines earned higher satisfaction ratings than the long-established, big carriers. Let's start by reacting to some of them:
"Flight schedules are for customer's amusement" -- The most serious present complaint about flying (expressed by 35% of all surveyors) relates to cancellations and delays. Fortunately, the government is beginning to look at changes in our air control system that would substantially improve matters. Introducing a new computer system for air traffic control would be a good way to start. Giving priority to large commercial passenger jets over small, private planes would also be helpful. The question is, when will the Federal Aviation Administration get these necessary jobs done?
"Sitting any closer might constitute marriage in some states" -- The second most frequent complaint about flying (heard from 34% of fliers) is crowding, especially in the economy section. Nonetheless, airlines such as Continental, Midwest Express and Virgin America are proving that it's possible to provide more space and comfort on newer planes. It's reasonable to ask whether the government might create a new authority to finance updated fleets for our airlines. Besides allowing more internal space for the passengers, this would reduce the amount of fuel used and in turn bring down the long-term costs of the industry and our dependence on foreign oil.
"They fired the last employee found smiling" -- It's no wonder that the crews on the older major carriers are visibly less happy than those on newer airlines. You would be less happy too, if you were worried about your retirement on a worthless pension. There may be no easy answer to this problem, but we would suggest that both Continental and Southwest have proven that an older airline can maintain employee morale. Ergo, other airlines' boards need to spend more time looking for corporate leaders like Gordon Bethune and Herb Kelleher; both men found ways to motivate their personnel to do better jobs. If worse comes to worse, the airlines, and indeed the Transportation Security Administration, might turn to The Walt Disney Company for lessons on hospitality.
"Makes standing in line at the DMV seem like fun" -- Another frequent complaint among air travelers is the need to wait in line at security. Thankfully, private industry is already making an impact in this regard. Verified Identity Pass, Inc., now provides an airport security fast pass called Clear®, that enables pre-screened members to access designated airport security fast lanes in 14 major airports nationwide.
"I asked what kind of chicken they had, and she replied, the "dead kind" -- As for food and amenities, it's getting to be pretty obvious that there are none, at least not in economy class on domestic flights. That's understandable because producing food in the air is anything but easy. However, there's no reason why the airlines cannot pass out good, simple meals before boarding - or at least arrange for their sale before boarding.
"That website is slower than my 100 year-old grandmother" -- Ironically, the airlines are producing websites that our surveyors rate more highly than their in air services. Now 75% of our surveyors use airline or travel industry websites to make their flight plans. This is making it possible for passengers to seek out and obtain better and less expensive flights, certainly a positive in this otherwise problem-laden industry.
"Maybe there's a better chance of talking to G.W. Bush" -- It's fairly apparent that customers are not satisfied with the responses they get from the airlines about their various problems. Thus, for many, the Airline Passenger's Bill of Rights Act of 2007 is a last ray of hope. The bill is designed to protect passengers from, and compensate them for, bad air travel experiences. Sixty-one percent of our surveyors favor the Bill of Rights; only 5% oppose it. The 34% who say they don't know what it is might want to find out.
For more of the Airline survey, please visit Zagat.com/airline.
Nina Zagat and Tim Zagat are the co-founders of Zagat Survey.
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