Travellers are more satisfied with flying than any other mode of public transport according to a survey from the European Commission.
The survey was carried out in March this year among 24,000 inhabitants aged 15 or over in the 25 member states of the European Union. It rated passenger satisfaction in three categories: treatment of disabled passengers; response to complaints or suggestions for improvements; and treatment when travel plans do not go to schedule.
Overall, 72% of air transport users emerged as satisfied with service levels and only 23% rated themselves as dissatisfied. For local urban transport, including trains and buses, a third of users were dissatisfied, with a similar result for inter-city rail services. The level of those who were “very satisfied” is also revealing, with air transport on 21% against 13% for the other two ground transport categories.
Air travel was the only transport mode where the majority of passengers agreed that they were treated satisfactorily when things went wrong. Within air transport, the highest satisfaction ratings are for behaviour of staff (which won a 95% approval rating), followed by security and punctuality. The lowest rating is for compensation levels when things go wrong, with some 29% dissatisfied. The survey shows that one third of passengers were aware of the passenger rights scheme introduced in February this year, only a month before the research. Information on delays and cancellations, as well as ticket prices, were also low on the satisfaction rating. Nearly a third of air passengers think that pricing information is ambiguous, compared to 39% who think it is not.
Nearly a quarter of people within Europe have used air transport within the last 12 months, compared with 57% for urban transport, 30% for inter-city rail, 9% for ferries and 6% for international bus travel.
COLIN BAKER LONDON
Source: Airline Business