Air Canada, WestJet still ranking low on customer satisfaction, study shows
Global News
Air Canada and WestJet are showing signs of improving customer satisfaction, yet continue to rank near the bottom of the list for large North American air carriers.
Despite some improvements since last year, Air Canada and WestJet continue to place near the bottom of the list for customer satisfaction among top North American airlines in a newly released survey.
According to the J.D. Power 2025 North America Airline Satisfaction Study, overall customer satisfaction is on the rise from the same period last year when looking at the averages from the top 11 air carriers.
However, the findings are more mixed when examining each specific airline and segment, particularly with Air Canada and WestJet.
“That is indicative of some significant problems in how these airlines handle passengers,” Air Passenger Rights president Gabor Lukacs says.
Global News requests for comment sent to both Air Canada and WestJet have yet to receive a response.
The study was conducted by polling more than 10,000 passengers from March 2024 to March 2025 and featured three class segments for air travel: first/business, premium economy and economy/basic. Those surveyed were asked to rate their level of satisfaction with airline staff, digital tools (check-in apps and terminals, company websites, in-flight entertainment, etc.), ease of travel, level of trust, on-board experience, pre/post-flight experience, and overall value for the price paid.
“The best airlines in our study have one thing in common: they make people feel like they’re lucky to be flying and that they should be flying with this airline and then the airline is happy that they’re a passenger,” JD Power airline study lead Michael Taylor says.
“I think that with Canadians being just as darn friendly as they are — and they are — I think both Air Canada and WestJet could leverage their people skills a little bit more, and it would help them in the rankings.”
The company said the incident is currently under investigation and information is limited, but it confirms that local authorities have been notified.
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