Zagat's 2009 Airline Survey Shows Air Travel Declines

Published on: November 25, 2009

Zagat released the results of its 2009 Airline Survey, covering 16 domestic and 73 international airlines, as well as 30 domestic airports. The survey, conducted on zagat.com, incorporates the opinions of 5,895 frequent flyers and travel professionals (travel agents) who collectively took 97,600 flights in the past year.

Each airline was separately rated on Zagat's signature 30-point scale on its premium and economy class service for both domestic and international flights. The airlines were rated on four aspects of their performance: (1) Comfort, (2) Service, (3) Food and (4) Website. Other issues such as Value, On-Time Performance, Luggage Policy and In-Flight Entertainment were also covered.

This is the third annual Zagat airline survey and eighth survey since 1990. Not unexpectedly, this survey shows a decline in flying following the economic downturn. Fully 33 percent of the respondents reported flying less often while only 7 percent said more. Confirming this decline, surveyors indicated that they were taking an average of 19.7 flights per year in 2007. That bottomed out to 16.3 in 2008 and ended up at 16.6 in 2009. The proportion of flights for business declined from 64 percent in 2007 to 61 percent in 2009 with leisure flights going from 35 percent to 39 percent in 2009.

When it comes to booking flights, travel agents continued to lose ground, according to the survey. Their share of bookings declined from 17 percent in 2007 to 8 percent this year, while booking directly through the airlines’ websites rose from 60 percent to 64 percent during the same period. Travel websites were flat at 15 percent -- a nod to special corporate incentives, which may explain why booking through work increased from 2 percent to 8 percent.

The Zagat survey also found that the major traditional U.S. airlines have been falling behind in terms of its rankings. For example, American, Delta, United, and US Airways received overall ratings (combined average of Comfort, Service and Food) between 9 and 11 on the 30-point Zagat scale for their domestic economy class service. Of the major traditional U.S. airlines only Continental broke out of the pack with an overall rating of 15. Relatively new airlines such as JetBlue and Virgin America got much higher ratings (19 and 21, respectively). Virgin America received a 24 for its premium service. As always, ratings for international flights were substantially higher overall. While Continental's international performance scored best among the U.S. majors, airlines subsidized by their governments receive the highest marks – Singapore (24), Emirates (22) and Cathay Pacific (21).

Survey respondents’ most important considerations in choosing an airline are the following: direct routes (68 percent), ticket price (61 percent), seat comfort/leg-room (51 percent), past experience (49 percent), time of day (48 percent) and frequent flyer programs (42 percent). For budget-conscious fliers, Continental and Southwest are this year's winners for Best Value among international and domestic performance, respectively.

“The newer airlines continue to do well in the survey. Being less expensive to operate, they can therefore afford to provide better service,” said Tim Zagat, CEO of Zagat Survey. “That airlines like Singapore, Emirates and Cathay Pacific do so well is a no-brainer -- government support. The big question is how Continental does so well without any special advantages.”

For large domestic premium class, Continental Airlines was ranked number one, followed by American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airways and AirTran Airways. For large domestic economy class, JetBlue Airways came out on top followed by Continental Airlines, Southwest Airlines, AirTran Airways and Delta Air Lines. For midsize domestic premium class, Virgin America was ranked number one followed by Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines. For midsize domestic economy class, Virgin America was named number one, followed by Midwest Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. For international premium class, Singapore Airlines came out on top, followed by Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates Airlines, Air New Zealand and Virgin Atlantic Airways. For international economy class, Singapore Airlines was ranked number one followed by Emirates Airlines, ANA (All Nippon Airways), Air New Zealand and Thai Airways. This year, survey respondents also awarded honors for top in-flight entertainment to JetBlue domestically and Virgin Atlantic internationally.

When it comes to the overall airport quality, Portland International was rated No. 1 by surveyors, edging out last year's winner, Tampa International, which is No. 2 this year. Rounding out the top five airports are Detroit Wayne County, Orlando International and Minneapolis/St. Paul International. New York's LaGuardia Airport placed last with surveyors for the third straight survey.

As in other fields, American consumers seem eco-friendly with 28 percent saying that they would be more likely to fly a certain airline if it introduced more “green” practices. When asked which domestic airlines operate in the most "green" manner, JetBlue, Southwest, Virgin America, Continental and Delta, in order, landed in the top five positions. For more information, visit www.zagat.com.