US: Airlines push service to Europe and Asia, but foreign carriers top best list

Even as US airlines add more flights, more comfortable seats and new amenities to their flights to Europe and Asia, a fresh survey of international travellers shows foreign carriers are rated as the best. J.D. Power’s International Destination Satisfaction Survey found Turkish Airlines was rated as the best airline to fly between North American and Europe, while JAL was tops among those flying between North America and Asia. What about Delta, United and American Airlines? The man who conducted the survey of more than 6,000 international travellers says US carriers are not that far behind their foreign competitors. “What we normally hear is all US-based airlines don’t do as well as the European or Asian or Middle Eastern airlines, but they held their own in this study,” said Michael Taylor, who oversees travel intelligence for J.D. Power. Among the big three US airlines, Delta is rated the highest for flights to both Europe and to Asia. The survey validates Delta’s move in recent years to add more seats and flights to Europe and Asia. For example, in 2017, Delta started reconfiguring some of its planes to add a new segment of seats and services between the main cabin and the Delta One business class. The new segment, Delta Premium Select, includes bigger seats that recline further than those in the main cabin, a footrest and upgraded meals. The selling point: A Premium Select seat costs slightly more than a seat in coach but far less than one in business class. By comparison, United is ranked the lowest among airlines flying between North America and Asia. That rating doesn’t surprise Taylor. “One of the big things that we see with the second-time flyer is past experience, and United’s past experience has not been that great, but it is improving,” he said. Story has more.<br/>