According to a recent survey by J.D. Power, Canada's two largest airlines received below-average scores for customer satisfaction with their economy-class services when compared to other major North American carriers.

WestJet scored 777 out of 1,000 points in customer satisfaction, narrowly beating Air Canada, which received a score of 765. Nevertheless, both airlines' scores fell below the average economy class score of 782, as reported by J.D. Power.

Customer Satisfaction Survey

Michael Taylor, Managing Director of Travel, Hospitality, and Retail at a consumer analytics company, explained that despite pricier fares, crowded planes, and fewer flight options causing customer frustration, demand for air travel remains strong.

This has led to higher airline revenues this year, following a prolonged industry slump caused by the pandemic. However, Taylor noted that while airlines are running at "peak efficiency," higher labor and fuel costs compared to 2019 have resulted in lower profit margins.

In an effort to maximize the number of passengers per flight, some airlines have retired smaller planes, which has led to an increase in prices due to the high demand for leisure travel after two years of pandemic restrictions.

While domestic air travel in Canada has become cheaper due to new airlines entering the market, passengers still face high prices and limited flight options for international travel in many regions, as per data from Cirium, an aviation data firm.

Air Canada and WestJet Poor Performance

A survey categorized airlines into three groups: first and business class, premium economy, and economy/basic economy.

Air Canada ranked fifth out of six in the first two categories. Among business class, JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines secured first and second places, respectively, whereas they switched places in the premium economy category.

United Airlines received the lowest rank in business class, and American Airlines in premium economy.

In terms of economy class, Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and JetBlue Airways secured the top three positions in the survey. This comes despite Southwest Airlines experiencing a severe disruption that resulted in the cancellation of thousands of flights in December, which was called a "system failure" by the U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

WestJet and Air Canada ranked fifth and eighth, respectively. Neither airline has commented on the rankings yet, reported Global News Canada.

Over the course of March 2022 to March 2023, a survey was conducted among large North American airlines that included the feedback of 7,774 passengers from various airports.