Here are three tips for nabbing a cheaper airfare: “No single travel site or airline consistently offers the best deals in all cases,” says William McGee, airline consultant for Consumers Union.Īnd if you can be flexible in your timing, you will improve your odds of finding a lower-cost ticket. More travelers pick airlines based on convenience rather than cost, our survey found. Though Consumer Reports didn’t have enough data to report median wait time for Hawaiian Airlines, for those airlines that we did, Alaska and Southwest Airlines had the shortest reported delay times. Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines had the fewest flight holdups. The most common check-in or on-ground problem reported by survey respondents was a flight delay-12 percent of the flights we asked about were delayed, with the median wait lasting 76 minutes. Most airlines also received low scores for their WiFi connectivity and in-flight entertainment options. “These seats, in order to fit more of them in each plane, don’t have the foam padding of yesteryear,” says airline analyst George Hobica, founder of AirfareWatchdog, a travel site.įor all the carriers, the complimentary and paid food and beverage choices were marked below average by coach passengers. That’s no surprise, since airlines are cramming more seats into their coach sections, even as the average American is growing larger. In fact, all the airline economy flights rated by Consumer Reports received low scores for the seat comfort and legroom categories. Department of Transportation dropped proposals that would have required airlines to disclose checked and carry-on bag fees at the start of a ticket purchase rather than later on.Īlthough more than half of coach passengers did not experience in-flight or onboard problems with their flight, nearly 30 percent reported that their seat was uncomfortable. “Often, with some of these budget airlines, travelers think that they have to pay for a seat on top of the cost of the ticket,” Laitin says.Īdvocates say the airlines must do a better job of fee transparency.

Travelers also say that they are often confused during the booking process, according to Anna Laitin, director of financial policy for Consumers Union, the advocacy division of Consumer Reports. Half of those surveyed said they were unsure or could not remember if any extra fees were added to their bill when they purchased their ticket. It’s often difficult to avoid add-on charges, which may not be immediately clear when booking online. More than half of economy passengers in our survey were charged to select a better seat, and 40 percent who checked a bag were charged an extra fee. Yet more airlines are adding basic economy seating, which means flyers are increasingly paying additional fees for what used to be standard service. Some four in ten travelers who booked their flight said they chose their airline because it had the cheapest flight available. Our survey found that pricing remains a crucial issue for coach passengers. Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines are among the highest rated airlines for overall satisfaction by passengers.

We also asked first-class and business-class travelers to rate their experiences. Additionally, Spirit and Frontier Airlines received low marks in all the categories we rated. Like Southwest, these airlines also received favorable ratings for staff service, check-in ease, and cabin cleanliness.Īmong the lowest-rated airlines by coach passengers are Frontier, Spirit, United, American and Allegiant Airlines. And it was the only airline to earn top marks for pricing transparency-this no-frills carrier clearly lists its fees and lets you check two bags for free.Īlaska Airlines, JetBlue, Virgin America, and Hawaiian Airlines are also among the highest rated airlines for economy flights. It earned high scores for staff service and ease of check-in, and cabin cleanliness. Out of the 11 airlines surveyed, Southwest landed at the top of the ratings chart for overall satisfaction by passengers on economy flights.

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