Bad Airlines? Complain to Zagat
Famed Guidebook Publisher Invites Fliers to Rate Airlines
Angry and contented air travelers alike have until Sunday, Oct. 7 to offer airline rankings, vote on best frequent flier programs and judge other air carrier service
Angry because of a bad airline experience? Love service and food (if there is any) on some carriers?
Want to report being on delayed flights, overbooked routes, filthy or clean cabins?
Those who travel regularly and members of frequent flier programs are being asked to share their "thoughts and opinions on the state of airline travel" by voting on new Zagat airline survey, the famed New York-based restaurant, hotel and shopping guidebook company announced the other day.
But you must hurry. Voting for best and worst airlines ends at Zagat.com this Sunday, Oct. 7.
Those who decide to reply to the Zagat questionnaire are "asked to rate and review the major U.S. and international air carriers based on comfort, service, food, website as well as timeliness," the publisher announced.. In addition, travelers -- seniors, boomers, anyone who flies -- are asked to "share the good, the bad and the ugly about their flying experiences."
National news reports have noted a sharp increase in air passenger complaints about crowded air terminals, overbooking, flights stuck on the tarmac and cancellations since the last survey was taken. For previous Senior Travel reports on this issue see "Worst Airlines for Senior Travel," and "Worst Airlines? Take Your Pick" or type "worst airlines" in search box above.
The opportunity to tattle on worst and best airlines is free. Air travelers must first register at the Zagat.com Web site. The results of this year's survey, which industry observers expect to be extremely lively and revealing, will be publicized on national television in November.
When voters navigate to the survey, they will find 75 U.S. and international airlines included, with 20 listed under "Domestic - Economy Class," to use one example. Once you click on the red "cast your vote" icon for a carrier, you enter your numeric rating of "comfort," "service," "food," and "website," plus your comments, in a format similar to Zagat's restaurant guide.
In Zagat-style shorthand, this means that "terrible delays" on "many major flights" are likely to cause a "flood of angry entries" when the current voting is made public.
Anyone who wants "to find out who has the best frequent flier program, the worst food and the most consistent delays," is urged by the guidebook outfit to tune into the Today show in late November on the NBC network, when results will be revealed live. The last time that the consumer-based Zagat conducted an Airline Survey was in 2005.
Zagat says that its content "is based on the collective opinions of 300,000 savvy surveyors worldwide and is built on the belief that consumers are best served when they have access to a variety of information resources from other avid consumers."
