What Customers Want

Entrepreneur: JetBlue remains the best low-cost carrier for the third straight year, according to J.D. Power and Associates’ 2007 North America Airline Satisfaction Study. The survey gauges customer satisfaction by looking at performance indicators across several categories, such as cost, in-flight services and boarding/deplaning time. It’s somewhat surprising, considering the winter weather blues that kept more than 10 of JetBlue’s flights grounded. One jet literally froze on the runaway, trapping passengers flying to sunny Cancun, Mexico for more than eight hours.
Linda Hirneise, executive director of travel practice at J.D. Power and Associates, believes JetBlue kept its ranking because the airline commands a fiercely loyal customer following with its modern amenities including leather seats, all-you-can-eat in-flight snacks and satellite TV at a time when many other airlines are phasing them out. American Airlines, which stripped passengers of the seat pillow last year, showed the largest decline in quality among the traditional carriers category.
JetBlue Still Top Low-Cost Airline [Entrepreneur]