As airlines have folded and merged and cut flights and laid off employees and jacked up prices on transporting baggage, among other things, it’s been tough for consumers to not get frustrated with them. 

But the new American Customer Satisfaction Index indicates that fliers are starting to see the skies as somewhat friendlier. In the first three months of this year, U.S. customer satisfaction with airlines rose 3.1% from a year ago.

"Thanks to operational improvements and fewer weather disruptions, our members are again delivering strong on-time performance and already this year set two all-time records for baggage handling," commented Steve Lott, spokesman for Airlines for America (formerly known as the Air Transport Association of America), about the group's latest press release to USA Today.Continue reading...

The 2012 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is out and it demonstrates the kind of consistency that a fast food behemoth like McDonald's can't be too happy about. 

The ACSI's new ranking puts the burger-meister dead last in the "Limited-Service Restaurants" category, with a satisfaction rating of 73 percent. That puts McDonald's just below rival Burger King (75 percent), but considerably below Wendy's (78 percent). Pizza delivery company Papa John's was rated #1 in the limited service category with a satisfaction rating of 83 percent, an increase of 5.1 percent from the previous year. Interestingly, the company in this category with the largest drop in customer satisfaction from last year was Starbucks. Often touted for its customer service, the coffee house fell from 80 percent in 2011 to 76 percent in 2012. 

Unfortunately, the lowly ranking should come as no big surprise for McDonald's management; the company has ranked last in the ACSI since 1995. In fact, its current rating of 73 percent is a percent higher than last year, and 73 percent is the highest rating ever achieved by McDonald's on the ACSI.Continue reading...

The latest annual edition of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) gives a boost to two well-known brands.

In the "Limited Service Restaurants" category, Papa John's was rated number one in customer satisfaction, edging out Starbucks, Little Caesar's, and Pizza Hut, who all tied for second place. Domino's Pizza and Wendy's were tied for third place.

Paradoxically, while McDonald's experienced sales growth, it dropped over 4% from last year in terms of customer satisfaction.Continue reading...