JetBlue and Southwest come out on top in service, Northwest brings up the rear. And here come the Asian versions!
J.D. Power and Associates has released its latest airline customer satisfaction survey . In results that are probably no surprise to any US flier, JetBlue Airways did the best job of pleasing its passengers and Southwest was #2. Never mind that these are supposedly “discount” airlines and we’re supposed to feel that they are inferior to the legacy airlines like American and Delta.
Northwest Airlines is the worst when it comes to customer satisfaction. I could have guessed that. I just flew on Northwest two weeks ago and in my four flight legs, the only food or beverage choices were pre-packaged water and orange juice. A plane full of business travelers returning home on late Friday afternoon couldn’t order a beer. A travesty! (And at $5 a pop, quite a missed revenue opportunity.) In all fairness, the staffers were nice enough and my bag did arrive, but these should be a given.
The lines have blurred to the point of being nonexistant unless you are an “elite” flyer–those road warriors who fly at least 25,000 miles a year. For them, there’s still an advantage to their loyalty. For the rest of us, might as well go for the best deal every time and put the savings in a bank account. Then you can buy your own “free” ticket after taking enough flights.
Europe has seen a major tranformation as well, with EasyJet and RyanAir giving the once-protected state carriers a major run for their money. True, the budget carriers are not much better than a bus and you’ll pay a lot more if you have a lot of luggage, but for a short hop across Europe, they’re a great deal. As in the US though, labor troubles are brewing. Alitalia workers went on strike this week to protest cuts, yet the airline is practically bankrupt.
Here come the Asians!
In my three times backpacking around Asia, I never found flights to be all that expensive there, but now they’ve gotten even cheaper. A few new carriers have come on board lately and are offering ridiculously cheap introductory fares. You’ve got to hand it to Nok Air for the fun paint job, if nothing else.
Oasis Hong Kong plans to fly between Europe and Hong Kong this year, and between the US and Hong Kong in ’06. JetStar Asia is based in Singapore and is pushing Tiger Air into lowering its prices. You can book flights (in English) on Jetstar’s site–including supercheap flights between Singapore and Bangkok.
AirAsia is based in Malaysia and has been running since 2002. You can also book directly on their web site, though as with others, you’ll need to covert the currency to figure out the cost in dollars or euros. If you go to a local travel agent in Asia, it might be easier, especially if you’re booking multiple legs.
All these budget choices are a reminder that it’s not always best to book everything from home, expecially if you are going on a round-the-world journey. Who knows what options will pop up six months from now.
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