Summary

• Delta Air Lines received the highest score in the J.D. Power 2024 Airline Satisfaction Study for Best Premium Economy.
• Alaska Airlines offers early boarding access, free snacks/alcohol, & significantly faster Wi-Fi in their Premium Economy.
• American Airlines ranked third in Premium Economy satisfaction, offering perks like fast-track security and baggage handling.

J.D. Power is one of the great forces in the US in the field of data analytics. Founded in 1969, the consumer intelligence company conducts almost 200 surveys annually. The studies it conducts are often benchmarks in the field, and it has been reported that their rankings have appeared in approximately 350,000 television commercials and two billion print advertisements. In 2024, J.D. Power conducted the 2024 North America Airline Satisfaction Study. In this article, we are going to dive into what the study shows about which American carriers have the Best Premium Economy.

The best Premium Economy airlines: J.D. Power Airline Satisfaction Study

Delta Air Lines

Hubs: Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), Detroit (DTW), Los Angeles (LAX) Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP), New York–JFK (JFK) New York–LaGuardia (LGA), Salt Lake City (SLC), Seattle/Tacoma (SEA)

J.D. Power Airline Satisfaction Study Score: 716

Alliance: SkyTeam/SkyTeam Cargo

Delta Air Lines has a score of 716 in the airline satisfaction study conducted by J.D. Power- this score is 29 points greater than the next airline on the list. The premium economy of this airline got an upgrade in 2022.

Some of the complimentary perks in Delta’s premium economy include:

• Tumi amenity kit with Malin & Goetz travel essentials
• A hand cleansing towelette, socks, and eyeshades

Alaska Airlines

Hubs: Anchorage (ANC), Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle/Tacoma (SEA), Portland (PDX)

J.D. Power Airline Satisfaction Study Score: 687

Alliance: Oneworld

Alaska Airlines Premium Economy offers passengers a chance for early boarding access ahead of regular economy. The airline also gives Premium Economy members free snacks/beer/cocktail/wine. The Wi-Fi was also upgraded to be twenty times faster than the basic Wi-Fi scheme.

American Airlines

Hubs: Los Angeles (LAX), New York–JFK (JFK), New York–LaGuardia (LGA), Dallas Fort Worth (DFW),

Charlotte (CLT), Chicago–O’Hare (ORD), Miami (MIA), Philadelphia (PHL), Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX), Washington National (DCA)

J.D. Power Airline Satisfaction Study Score: 684

Alliance: Oneworld

American Airlines, which, according to the J.D. Power study, has the third-best Premium Economy in North America, offers premium economy on the following aircraft:

• 777-300s
• 787-8s flying internationally and to Alaska
• 787-9s
• 777-200s

American Airlines offered premium economy on the Airbus A330s before the pandemic. Some of the perks of the American Airlines premium economy include:

• Faster check-in and priority boarding
• Fast-track security at select airports
• Baggage handling

JetBlue Airways

Hubs: Boston (BOS), Los Angeles (LAX), New York–JFK (JFK), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Orlando (MCO), San Juan (SJU)

J.D. Power Airline Satisfaction Study Score: 667

Alliance: None

JetBlue Airways is the only low-cost airline from the United States to feature on this list. The airline has a satisfaction score of 667, which is a tad higher than the average satisfaction score of the seven airlines that feature on this list- 669.

WestJet

Hubs: Calgary (YCC)

J.D. Power Airline Satisfaction Study Score: 664

Alliance: None

WestJet is one of the two carriers from Canada that features on this list. The Premium Economy on this Canadian carrier has an exclusive cabin with soft blankets and pillows. An added perk is the Rocky Mountain Soap amenity kit, which is available for flights across Europe, the UK and Japan.

United Airlines

Hubs: Chicago–O’Hare (ORD), Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), Newark (EWR), Houston (IAH), Guam (GUM), Washington (IAD), Denver (DEN)

J.D. Power Airline Satisfaction Study Score: 641

Alliance: Star Alliance

Depending upon whether you are taking transcontinental flights or international flights, the amenities involved in the premium economy of United Airlines will be different. Nonetheless, you get baggage allowance, access to lounges, and Premier Access.

Air Canada

Hubs: Montreal (YUL), Toronto (YYZ), Vancouver (YVR)

J.D. Power Airline Satisfaction Study Score: 628

Alliance: Star Alliance

The Premium Economy on Air Canada, like all other carriers on the list, offers a greater seating area, extra legroom, and priority airport services. Air Canada offers Premium Economy on the following aircraft:

• Boeing 777-300
• Boeing 787-8
• Airbus A330-300

Some other revelations from the J.D. Power 2024 North America Airline Satisfaction Study

According to the senior managing director of travel, hospitality, retail and customer service, Michael Taylor, any carrier can influence “the positive effect that airline staff has on passengers”. Taylor further commented:

“The big takeaway from this year’s study is the power of people to positively influence the overall flight experience. Airlines that are investing in staff training and recruitment are finding ways to overcome the negative effects of crowded gates and planes simply by being nice to their customers.”

J.D. Power also wrote that the following were some of the other findings of the study.

Passengers seek trust

It might be commonly expected that travel fares have a predominant role in passenger satisfaction. However, the J.D. Power 2024 North America Airline Satisfaction Study revealed that people prioritized seamless travel and trust in the airline over air fares.

The media affects trust scores heavily

The study found that there is a great degree of correlation between how the media covers news about a particular airline and how satisfied people are with the service of the carrier involved. J.D. Power is quoted to have said:

“Overall satisfaction scores for trust are 400 points lower (on a 1,000-point scale) among passengers who saw negative news coverage of an airline’s performance in the past year.”