Emirates Airline voted top airline in regional travel customer satisfaction study, but Etihad and Qatar Airways not far behind

The online study canvassed the opinions of 1000 UAE and Saudi adult residents who have taken flights over the past 12 months. It covered topics ranging from travel preferences and trends, customer satisfaction levels and customer needs in both the airline and hospitality sectors.

The findings of the study provide a revealing insight into the true preferences of customers who are being offered multiple choices when it comes to travel nowadays. While it was no surprise that Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline, one of the world's fastest growing carriers, set the benchmark in the region in terms of overall customer satisfaction, rival airlines were not far behind.

"As frequent travelers, UAE and Saudi residents have strong opinions about and high expectations from the airlines and hotels they use," said Tamara Deprez, Maktoob Research Director. "We truly hope that this study will prove indispensable in helping travel and hospitality industry professionals understand and respond to the needs and concerns of their GCC customers."

Among the key findings of the survey are:
•Emirates Airline scored highest with 8.5 on a 10-point scale in overall satisfaction among both Saudi and UAE travelers. However, while Emirates was the clear winner in Saudi Arabia, it received some stiff competition on its home turf from Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, which tied Emirates for the top honors among UAE travelers with 8.5 on a 10-point scale. Qatar Airways came in a close third with 7.9.
•Although Emirates had an edge over its competitors in categories such as "customer-focus", "distinctive style", "efficiency", "innovation", and "suiting business travelers", it was also rated the "most expensive" airline. Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways showed some major gains among UAE travelers when it came to various customer perception factors. They were also tied with low-fare carrier Air Arabia as very reasonable when it came to price perception.
•Interestingly, when it came to comfort, family friendliness, and value for money, UAE travelers gave the nod to Etihad Airways which scored 4.3, 4.3 and 4.0, respectively on a 5-point scale.
•Etihad and Emirates tied for first place as the most reliable airlines with 4.3 on a 5-point scale, with Qatar Airways not far behind with a score of 3.9.
•Among Saudi-based airlines, the national carrier, Saudi Arabian Airlines enjoyed the highest votes in the brand awareness category with 79%. Significantly, it received the least votes (3.0 on a 5-point scale) in the 'value-for-money' category.
•The new domestic low-fare carriers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, SAMA Airlines and NAS Air are already making their presence strongly felt in consumer awareness polls. They scored 41% and 12% respectively in the 'brand awareness' category despite having been launched only for a few weeks at the time of the study. SAMA Airlines, in particular, seems to have made a deep impression on the minds of Saudi consumers, with the aggressive advertising campaign it recently launched.

The Maktoob Research TravelMonitor also examined a host of other travel-related trends and consumer attitudes. For airlines, it surveyed awareness, satisfaction and image attitudes. It also examined other key satisfaction areas, such as aircraft cleanliness, attitude and friendliness of cabin staff, availability of newspapers and magazines, efficiency of check-in and boarding, grooming and appearance of cabin staff, handling of delays and cancellations, in-flight entertainment selection, and many other factors that affect the overall passenger experience. A similar set of questions measured awareness and satisfaction of major hotel brands.

With online information and e-booking playing a very critical role in the modern travel industry, the TravelMonitor study also took special note of airline and hotel websites, asking travelers to rate individual websites for their customer service content, ease of navigation, online reservation facilities, and payment options, among other factors.

The study also assessed customer satisfaction across various categories for business class, first class and frequent flyers.

As the regional travel market continues its impressive growth, the Maktoob Research TravelMonitor provides invaluable insights into what GCC travelers want from their airlines and hotels. The results proved that the Arab traveler of today is sophisticated, savvy, and keenly aware of value-for-money and customer service expectations.