Alaska Airlines wins high customer ranking

Seattle-based Alaska Airlines ranked highest among seven big U.S. airlines in customer satisfaction in 2009, a year when overall passenger satisfaction with airlines fell to a four-year low, according to a new study by J.D. Power and Associates.

The 2009 North America Airline Satisfaction Study measured customer opinions based on costs and fees; flight crews; in-flight services; aircraft; bording/deplaning/baggage; check-in and reservations.

For the second year in a row, Alaska ranked highest among traditional carriers. It was followed by American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, United and US Airways.

JetBlue ranked highest among discount carriers, followed by Southwest and WestJet, in a tie. Frontier and AirTran ranked lowest.

The study found that overall customer satisfaction with airlines in 2009 declined for a third consecutive year, driven by decreased satisfaction with in-flight services, flight crew and costs and fees, compared with 2008.

Despite the overall decline, the study found that the reported length of flight delays decreased by eight minutes in 2009 from 72 minutes in 2008.

Among passengers who visit an airline's main counter to obtain their boarding pass or check baggage, average wait times decreased to 12 minutes from 14 minutes in 2008.

The study surveyed business and leisure travelers who flew between April 2008 and May 2009.

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company and a business unit of the McGraw-Hill Companies.

cpucci@seattletimes.com