Singapore Airlines Tops Satisfaction Ranking

TOKYO (Nikkei)--Singapore Airlines won top honors in a Japanese customer satisfaction ranking for the second straight year, taking the No. 1 spot in five out of six categories, according to data released by Recruit Co.

The only category in which the Southeast Asian airline did not receive the best score was entertainment, in which it ranked second after Virgin Atlantic Airlines, the No. 2 airline in the ranking.

Placing third overall was Taiwan-based Eva Airways, while last year's third-ranked Emirates Airlines, based in the United Arab Emirates, plunged to 14th, possibly due to the diminished popularity of Dubai as a tourist destination, according to Recruit.

Japanese airlines scored well in the category of customer service, with All Nippon Airways (ANA) Co. placing second and Japan Airlines (JAL) Corp. third in the subcategory of service offered by flight attendants. ANA maintained its previous year's ranking of fourth overall, while JAL jumped from 13th to sixth.

As for the ranking of service provided by airport staff, ANA took second, while JALways placed third.

Japanese airlines were weaker in food, a category in which none made the top 10.

The survey, which covered 40 airlines, was conducted online from May 22-27, covering a total of 4,000 Japanese passengers selected randomly.

(The Nikkei Marketing Journal July 22 edition)