Airline Brand Ratings
By Ron Kurtz

Airline Brand Ratings in Survey of Affluent Mirror the Quality Ratings of Other Research Studies

In a recently completed survey among the wealthiest 10% of U.S. households, the affluent said they favored the discount U.S. airlines by a wide margin over the largest U.S. and European flag airlines.

Studies of customer satisfaction by the University of Nebraska at Omaha's Institute of Aviation and Wichita State University, as well as those of the University of Michigan, show that the discount U.S airlines have fewer complaints per 1,000 passengers and higher customer satisfaction than the largest U.S airlines.

The respondents to this survey, The Affluent Market Tracking Study #9, the latest in a twice-yearly series of surveys by The American Affluence Research Center, were asked to give their overall opinion of the largest U.S. airlines (United, American, etc.), the discount U.S. airlines (Southwest, JetBlue, AirTran, etc.), and European flag airlines (British Airways, KLM, etc.).

The respondents could give a favorable, neutral, or negative rating. The ratings were indexed, with 200 being the maximum (a favorable rating from all respondents) and 0 being the lowest (a negative rating from all respondents). An index of 100 is a neutral rating.

The overall index of the largest U.S. airlines was a slightly negative 96, as compared to a positive rating of 150 for the discount U.S. airlines and 122 for the European flag airlines. While 25% of the sample rated the largest U.S. airlines negatively, the two other groups received a negative rating from only 5% of the sample. Their total index ratings tended to be held down by neutral ratings (especially for the European flag airlines) which may have indicated a lack of familiarity.

The 474 participants in this national random survey have an average income



of $339, 400 and an average $2.7 million net worth. Their average age is 52. They are representative of the 11.2 million households that earn nearly 40% of the total income of all Americans, own 65% of the personal assets of all U.S. households, and hold 85% of the value of all publicly traded stocks and mutual funds in the U.S.

These surveys track how the affluent assess current business conditions and their 12-month outlook for the economy, the stock market, personal household income, and their spending plans for a number of different products and services. Highlights of the survey report can be found on the AARC website, www.affluenceresearch.org.

The complete 28-page report containing 25 tables may be ordered at info@affluenceresearch.org. Contact Ron Kurtz at 305-933-4887.