Survey finds Comfort Issues and Extra Fees are sore point with Air Travelers

Southwest and JetBlue tops while US Airways is at the bottom of latest ratings

Yonkers, NY – Comfort issues and excessive fees are sore points for air travelers, and are among the major reasons many are traveling less, according to a new survey of almost 15,000 passengers by Consumer Reports.

Eight of the 10 major airlines that Consumer Reports readers rated received low scores for seat comfort. Several carriers also got low marks for other quality-of-flight measures including cabin-crew service, cleanliness, and in-flight entertainment.

Consumer Reports airline ratings are based on responses from 14,861 readers who told the Consumer Reports National Research Center about their experiences on 29,720 domestic round-trip flights from January 2010 to January 2011. Airlines were scored based on passengers’ responses to questions regarding overall satisfaction, check-in ease, cabin-crew service, cabin cleanliness, baggage handling, seating comfort, and in-flight entertainment. Consumer Reports also asked questions about charging additional fees. [Read more]