Two surveys give mixed picture of airline satisfaction rates

Most Americans are pretty content with air travel and prefer paying separately for food, drinks, entertainment and luggage instead of buying an all-inclusive airline ticket.

At least that is what Airlines for America, a trade group for the nation’s airlines, says it has learned from an online survey of 3,019 American travelers.

Of those surveyed, 80% said they were either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with their air travel experience in 2015 and 67% said they prefer paying a la carte for onboard extras.

But another survey released last week found that air travelers are not so happy with life at 30,000 feet.

A survey of 4,290 Americans commissioned by a Washington, D.C., travel coalition called Travelers’ Voice found that only 46% of respondents rated the airline industry as “favorable,” while 59% said a series of airline mergers over the last decade has led to higher airfares.

Still, both surveys agreed on one thing: Airline seats are a problem that should be addressed.

When asked what advice passengers have for airline executives, more than 70% of respondents to the Airlines for America survey said they would recommend investing in “onboard comfort.”

When the survey for Travelers’ Voice asked fliers what airline issues should Congress target, 61% said “air travel experiences such as seat size.”

“If you look at these numbers, it clearly shows that travelers are frustrated,” said Trey Bohn, executive director of Travelers’ Voice. The coalition with 50,000 members was launched by the U.S. Travel Assn., a trade group that represents the nation’s tourism industry.

To read more about travel, tourism and the airline industry, follow me on Twitter at @hugomartin.

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