Antonio Machado said that "every fool confuses value with price," and we can refer to a more international reference, that of Oscar Wilde, when he stated that "a cynic is someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." A recent study by JD Power, a firm specializing in customer satisfaction, reveals two truths about frequent flyers, at least those in the US and on transoceanic flights. Let's take note, because this observation is likely to be true in other parts of the world as well. Truth number one: airline travelers are not fools, because they do not confuse the price of their ticket with the value of their flight. And truth number two: they are not cynics either, because for the same reason, and although they certainly know the price, they know the value even better.
As the prestigious Forbes magazine so aptly put it: "Surprise! Price isn't king. Customer service matters more." Of course, that "surprise" is completely ironic. Only those who are out of touch still don't know that price is not the decisive factor in customer satisfaction, especially for goods or services where there is strong competition and growing consumer demands. In other words, if "better" means more expensive, and the customer can afford it, they will probably choose "better" over cheaper.
The author of the Forbes article, Dan Reed, explains it this way: "Despite what you've heard for 40 years, since the dawn of airline deregulation, US air travelers are NOT focused on getting cheap fares. Well, at least not when traveling across an ocean. (...) That's a big surprise given the ingrained belief that a large majority of US air travelers, especially leisure travelers and businesspeople operating on tight budgets, are intensely focused on getting the lowest possible fare." Well, no. According to the JD Power study, price falls to fifth place in order of importance.
According to the data collected, the main factor in customer satisfaction is actually the food. It has to be good and it also has to be "spicy," an aspect that regional tastes may explain. Or maybe not, as we will see shortly. In any case, anyone who travels across oceans on a more or less regular basis is very clear that if they have not eaten well, they will hardly have a good perception of the airline. And there are other relevant factors: good customer service, the most accurate adherence to the schedule possible, and a positive reputation for the company that takes you from one place to another around the world.
This International Destination Satisfaction Study measures passenger satisfaction with airlines flying from North America to Europe and from North America to Asia, based on interviews with 6,287 passengers, who were asked about performance in nine factors: in-flight services; cost and fares; aircraft; flight crew; check-in; boarding; immigration; baggage; and booking. "A low fare may be the best way to attract a first-time international passenger," says Michael Taylor, one of the heads of the research firm, "but retaining passengers on routes to Europe and Asia is about delighting customers with excellent flights."
In other words, Customer Experience, which is forged in moments that may be overlooked by those who do not pay attention to details. We mentioned above the "spicy flavor" demanded by transoceanic passengers. And that demand is one of those details to pay attention to: "one of the most powerful ways to do this [the Customer Experience] is with food and beverage offerings that are unique to the airline's culture and manage to deliver flavor at high altitudes, where taste buds have been shown to become less sensitive." As is well known, spiciness is a sensation enhancer for the taste buds, hence its importance, beyond any possible "regional effect."
Onboard services include meals and beverages on the one hand, and onboard entertainment on the other. Overall passenger satisfaction with the food offering is lower than with the entertainment options, albeit by a small margin: 53 points out of 1,000 on flights to Europe and 22 points on flights to Asia.
Below that, we find a general category called "good customer service" (Customer Experience, again), which includes items such as crew service, seat comfort, and storage space. Who can feel satisfied after flying for hours with poor service, an uncomfortable seat, or a cramped space for their carry-on luggage?
Another factor of satisfaction above price is schedule adherence. This is something we take for granted among business travelers, who place a high priority on flight times. But it is surprising to find it as a relevant factor among leisure travelers, since in principle they should be under less pressure to be somewhere at a certain time; however, they are sensitive to time when planning their vacations or other consumer activities, as well as to the convenience of a flight's departure time.
And the airline's reputation also has a lot to say, as international travelers do not need to have flown a particular airline in the past to have a positive or negative attitude towards it, or even to have a "neither hot nor cold" attitude. Therefore, image carries more weight than the passenger's own history, and here we are talking about factors ranging from classic personal recommendations to more or less effective advertising techniques, the airline's public relations, and its activity on social media... which brings us back to personal recommendations: if many people give a high or low rating, and even more so if there are people they trust or are close to among that group, they must have a reason.
And yes, in addition, but not as a main factor, the price of the ticket. This continues to play an important role in the selection of airlines, but the reality is that operators tend to match or closely reflect the prices charged by competitors on the same routes, with the exception of popular destinations on more specialized flights. In this sense, there is a certain laxity in price competition, despite the fact that tougher competition, more similar to domestic markets, is gradually establishing itself, "particularly on routes between North America and Europe." Competition that, in light of what we have seen in this report, will have little impact on customer satisfaction.
As a point of interest regarding the airlines operating these routes, according to data compiled by JD Power, Turkish Airlines ranks highest in passenger satisfaction for travel between the US and Europe, with a score of 833 out of 1,000. Virgin Atlantic (829) ranks second, while British Airways and Delta Air Lines (815) are tied for third place. For flights between North America and Asia, Japan Airlines ranks highest in satisfaction, with 869 points, followed by Delta Air Lines (861) and Korean Air (854). And if passengers who do not confuse value with price say so, it is surely not nonsense or cynicism.
