Low-Cost Airline Satisfaction No.1 'Jeju Air'... Who's Last?

Consumer Agency Survey of 1,600 Passengers
Satisfaction Ranking: Jeju Air, Air Busan, Jin Air

Jeju Air ranked first in consumer satisfaction surveys among domestic low-cost carriers. Consumers gave high scores for the operational services of low-cost airlines but rated fares and additional benefits relatively low.

The Korea Consumer Agency announced on the 4th that it conducted an online survey targeting 1,600 adults who had used four domestic low-cost airlines?Air Busan, Jeju Air, Jin Air, and T'way Air?within the past two years. The survey results showed an average consumer satisfaction score of 3.56 out of 5, with Jeju Air scoring 3.59, Air Busan 3.57, Jin Air 3.55, and T'way Air 3.52.

The weighted average satisfaction across three major categories?quality, product, and experience?was 3.49 points. By category, service quality scored the highest at 3.64, followed by service product at 3.52, and service experience at 3.32.

Analyzing satisfaction factors within the three major categories, in the service quality category, human factors received high evaluations: professionalism, which assesses expertise and skilled service, scored 3.81, and responsiveness, which evaluates smooth problem-solving ability, scored 3.78. In contrast, tangibility, which assesses physical factors such as aircraft design and check-in facilities, scored the lowest at 3.40.

In the service product category, operational service (3.74) and reservation and boarding procedures (3.72) received high scores, while fares and additional benefits scored the lowest at 3.34.

The main reason for choosing low-cost airlines was "cheaper fares compared to major airlines," accounting for 50.9%, more than half of respondents. Additionally, respondents indicated that low-cost airline fares should be on average 38.1% cheaper than those of major airlines. By response segment, the highest proportion stated that fares should be at least 50% cheaper for both international and domestic flights. However, in reality, for domestic flights, low-cost airline fares were approximately 16% cheaper than major airlines on weekdays and about 9% cheaper on weekends, showing a gap from consumer expectations.

Furthermore, 9.1% (146 people) of respondents reported experiencing dissatisfaction or damage while using low-cost airline services. By type, transport delays accounted for the largest share at 52.7% (77 people), followed by lost or damaged checked baggage at 27.4% (40 people), excessive penalties for ticket cancellations at 19.2% (28 people), and transport non-fulfillment at 13.7% (20 people).

The Korea Consumer Agency shared these survey results with the four low-cost airlines and requested improvements in physical environments and infrastructure that consumers can directly experience. They also urged efforts to reduce transport delays and strengthen guidance to decrease consumer complaints.