Zagat Survey Rates Airlines, Airports

Working on the premise that the people best able to rate travel are those who partake of it, Zagat’s (www.zagat.com/airline) Report on Global Air Travel lays out the best airlines and airports out there, based on the input of 9,950 frequent flyers and travel professionals.

Leading the best-liked list among Large U.S. Economy carriers was discount airline JetBlue. Continental Airlines was tops in ranking Large U.S. Premium Class carriers.

Singapore Airlines (Web site: www.singaporeair.com) led the way in both the Large International Economy Class and large International Premium Class categories. Scoring highest in the Mid-Sized Economy Class category was Midwest Airlines. Virgin America (Web site: www.virginamerica.com) led the way among Mid-Sized Premium carriers.

As for airports, Tampa International (TPA) was the flyers’ favorite, continuing to amass a kit-load of kudos, as it has done over the years. Least-favored? Dauntingly delayed, and chronically crowded New York LaGuardia (LGA).

Seems lots of flyers book and buy online these days. Sixty percent use airline Web sites, while just 4 percent pick up the phone and call a reservations line. As for on-board eats, just 23 percent of flyers say they would purchase snacks on the airplane. Fifty-seven percent say they’d rather buy their food at the airport. Cheapflights Flight News continues to chronicle the expanding array of airport eateries on a regular basis.

While all this is instructive, what’s really fascinating about Zagat’s Report on Global Air Travel is the blistering assessment flyers had of certain carriers. “The surveyors had plenty to say about the current state of airline travel,” says a prepared statement by Zagat. While serving up a sampling of assessments, Zagat cautioned that the firm’s lawyers determined they “were not suitable to print with the airline’s name.”

Here are a few of the more illuminating observations about certain surveyed carriers:

- “The Rhett Butler of airlines: they just don’t give a damn.”

- “Domestic Economy is a mobile prison lacking the food and the exercise yard.”

- Just another cattle car, but the cows usually get more respect.”

- “Get’s you where you’re going – sometimes.”

Then there’s this reaction: “I would rather flap my arms than book this airline.”

© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler