Emirates, Etihad Airlines top service quality report

Emirates and Etihad Airlines have outperformed their rivals British Airways, Air France and Qatar Airways in a service quality benchmarking report.

Customer service consultancy firm, Ethos Consultancy has conducted an independent study covering a comprehensive list of service quality criteria which captures customer satisfaction at all key customer touch points throughout a typical flight experience.

This study analyses the customer experience from flight booking all the way through to check-in, baggage drop, boarding, plane conditions, in-flight services such as food and beverage, entertainment and shopping, right through to disembarkation and final baggage claim.

With only 0.8 per cent difference between the two UAE national airlines, Emirates Airlines stood first overall scoring 92.3 per cent, followed very marginally by Abu Dhabi based airline, Etihad Airways which scored 91.5 per cent.

Swiss Air came in third with 86.6 per cent, British Airways placed fourth with 84.3 per cent, Virgin Atlantic placed fifth with 79.8 per cent, followed by Air France at 72.3 per cent and finally Qatar Airways placed last with 71.5 per cent.

“The airline industry has never been tougher or more unforgiving, margins are paper-thin and airlines need to strive for continuous improvement by focusing on delivering consistently high levels of customer service that extend beyond in-flight service,” stated Barry Judge, director of Marketing at Ethos Consultancy.

“Both Emirates and Etihad have performed very well and should be content with their service quality performance during a very busy period, however their reports were far from perfect. There is certainly room for improvement and consistency moving forward.”