U.S. airlines get some of the worst consumer reviews of any industry in America, and Las Vegas’ hometown carrier, Allegiant Air, lags below average, a new report shows.
Allegiant ranked sixth for passenger satisfaction among the nine airlines listed in a report out today from the American Customer Satisfaction Index, or ACSI.
The Las Vegas-based discount airline, known for its cheap fares, bevy of add-on fees and steady profits, scored 65 out of 100 for consumer satisfaction.
JetBlue Airways was No. 1, at 81, followed by Southwest Airlines, by far the busiest carrier at McCarran International Airport, with a score of 78. Ultra low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines ranked last, with a score of 54.
Overall, the U.S. airline industry received a rating of 71.
Allegiant is a “good news, bad news” story, said Forrest Morgeson, director of research for Ann Arbor, Mich.-based ACSI.
The carrier — which flies leisure travelers from small, underserved cities to warm-weather vacation spots with almost no competition on its routes — was “not great” in the survey, he said. But it performed better than heavyweight United Airlines (60) and fellow low-cost carriers Frontier Airlines (58) and Spirit.
Meanwhile, the industry as a whole notched its second-highest score since ACSI began tracking it in 1994, when it scored 72. It was up from a low of 61 in 2001 and from 69 last year.
But it remains the fourth-lowest scoring industry of the 45 tracked by ACSI, ahead of only Internet-service providers, subscription television and health insurance.
Those “are not the kind of companies you want to be in the pack with,” Morgeson said.
Asked if Allegiant had any comments on the report, spokeswoman Jessica Wheeler said: "When surveyed, Allegiant customers continually report satisfaction with the product we offer, as well as indicating that the most important things they consider when shopping for airfare are a low fare and value. Allegiant’s average fare is half the average domestic airfare, providing customers what they most value when choosing an airline – a low price."