Customer satisfaction continues to climb
Customers are more satisfied with ASA than at any time in recent history, according to research conducted last fall by The Gallup Organization. Phone interviews with 1,500 customers indicated that 61 percent of fliers were either "extremely" or "very" satisfied with their most recent experiences on ASA, compared to 50 percent during the same period in 2002. Adding customers who said they were simply "satisfied," satisfaction scores climbed to 91 percent for 2003 and 86 percent for 2002.
"Extremely" and "very" satisfied ratings also improved for on-time arrivals (77 percent), helpfulness of flight attendants (83 percent), helpfulness of check-in agents (77 percent), the manner in which passengers were kept informed at the gate (74 percent), and the condition of aircraft interiors (73 percent).
Last fall's scores represent a continuing improvement trend since Gallup began polling ASA customers in early 2001. When compared against the first quarter of polling, today's customer satisfaction scores are up by nearly 20 percent.
ASA fares well in latest DOT consumer report
ASA's December 2003 performance fared well in the Department of Transportation's (DOT) latest report card for the nation's 18 largest airlines, including a fourth-place ranking for on-time arrivals.
ASA posted on-time arrivals of 79.6 percent, completion factor of 97.6 percent, mishandled baggage at 17.7 bags per 1,000 passengers and denied boardings at 5.84 customers per 10,000.
The company's December numbers met or exceeded all internal goals, with denied boardings reaching their lowest level since ASA entered the DOT report last spring. Additionally, ASA's December baggage handling scores represent a 45 percent improvement over the same period last year
Responding to the report, ASA President Skip Barnette said, "ASA continues to show remarkable improvement every month in all DOT measurements, reflecting the efforts under way all across the company to provide customers the levels of reliability and service they expect. The significant improvements we posted in 2003 are only the beginning of our ambitious trek to operational excellence at ASA."
I guess we are not so bad after all.