United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
BA’s customer satisfaction levels rose after switch to M&S catering
British Airways has taken the top spot for air travel in an annual report by a service design consultancy
It found BA’s customer satisfaction rose after its controversial decision to switch to paid in-flight catering in partnership with M&S.
The ‘2019 Customer Experience Report’, by Engine, is based on a survey of over 2,000 adults in the UK and Ireland.
When asked which brands perform best for customer experience within the sector, the following ranked in the top 10:
British Airways
Virgin
Emirates
Jet 2
easyJet
Ryanair
TUI
KLM
Thomas Cook
Qatar Airways
"Topping the table for the second year running, British Airways again received the most votes for the airline providing the best customer experience, even after a somewhat turbulent couple of years," said Joe Heapy, co-founder of Engine.
"From a customer experience perspective, the drive from British Airways to re-establish itself as the go-to airline for both value and experience has been fascinating.
"While there was, for example, initial scepticism over decisions such as the removal of complimentary in-flight catering for economy travellers, by partnering with fellow British brand Marks & Spencer (itself top brand for CX in the retail sector) they were ultimately able to offer greater choice, which is what passengers actually want. Customer satisfaction levels are higher now than before the change."
But overall air travel slipped out of the top five in the ranking of sectors that provide the best service and customer experience.
Top 10 sectors for customer experience:
1. = Hotels and hospitality (joint first)
1. = Food services and restaurants (joint first)
3. Retail
4. Banking
5. Leisure
6. Air travel
7. Technology
8. Mobile
9. Broadband and media
10. Utilities
The survey of 2,057 adults across the UK & Ireland, undertaken by Censuswide in August 2019.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Walt Leger on New Orleans’ Resilience and Major Events Ahead
Cindy Mackin Shares Estes Park’s Winter Thrills
Mark Jaronski of Explore Georgia on FIFA World Cup 2026
Connecting Small Businesses to Global Tourism Markets: Nate Huff of Tourism Exchange
North Carolina’s Resilience: Wit Tuttell on Recovery and Tourism
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
BA suspending all Heathrow to Abu Dhabi flights
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Woman dies after going overboard in English Channel
Report: Cruise guest died after ship lashed in heavy storm
British teen in serious condition after paraglider collision