One star Jetstar grounded at bottom of international airline satisfaction list
Jetstar has been left unimpressed at the results of an international customer satisfaction survey which placed the Australian budget carrier dead last in overall satisfaction with a one star rating in a field of 73 other airlines.
The survey, organised by ten consumer advocacy groups including Australia’s CHOICE, collected over 11,000 responses from eight different countries including Australia, France and Brazil.
Fellow Aussie airlines Virgin and Qantas fared slightly better, placing 51st and 36th respectively, while Tigerair, Virgin Australia’s low cost carrier, was excluded from the survey because it didn't earn enough responses.
The exclusion of Tiger was just one of the elements of the survey which Jetstar questioned, with many other international carriers also left out.
The survey revealed that Jetstar passengers experienced the second highest percentage of delays (40%), with an average delay of close to four hours.
"We know how important it is to get customers to their destination on time, and we recognise there is room for improvement," Jetstar said in a statement.
"Weather is often the source of delays, particularly in the more tropical destinations we operate to, and we'll always put safety before schedule.”
Flight delays, value for money, comfort and onboard staff were all categories rated in the survey, with Choice’s Head of Media Tom Godfrey suggesting that the results reflected consumer sentiment to “unfair” practices.
"With Aussies being slugged with excessive cancellation fees, a lack of redress when flights are delayed and cancelled, and other unfair terms and conditions it is little wonder companies like Jetstar see their ratings plummet when it comes to customer satisfaction,” he said.
"It's time our airlines stopped flying below the radar when it comes to consumer protection."
Dubai-based airline Emirates took out a top spot as the world’s best airline for customer satisfaction, with other five-star airlines including Colombian carrier Avianca and Qatar Airways.
The survey results are just the latest in a string of consumer satisfaction-related controversies surrounding Australian airlines, with a 2016 Choice study revealing markups of up to 150% on pre-ticked airline travel insurance compared to standalone travel insurance policies.
Jetstar has since pledged to remove pre-ticked optional extras, such as travel insurance, from their booking process by the middle of 2017.
To make certain you’re getting the best deal possible for your next trip overseas make sure you head over to the Mozo travel insurance hub to compare a range of offers.