Here Are America’s Favorite Hotel, Airline, Rideshare and Rental Car Companies

Travel experiences across America recently took a downturn, with customer satisfaction declining throughout hotels, airlines, car rentals, rideshare services, and online travel agencies.

This decline follows a notable surge in satisfaction last year, highlighting ongoing challenges businesses face in maintaining a consistently positive customer experience.

Here’s how different travel industries stack up, according to recent customer satisfaction ratings from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ASCI). The highest possible score is 100.

Top-ranked airlines and those falling behind

Southwest Airlines emerged as the highest-ranked airline, climbing 3% to achieve a score of 80. Delta and JetBlue maintained consistent performance, each earning 77.

Alaska, previously the leader, fell 7% to 76. At the lower end, American Airlines faced a significant 8% drop to a score of 73, primarily due to operational issues and loyalty program dissatisfaction.

Spirit Airlines slightly improved by 3% to 69, while Frontier Airlines declined sharply to last place with an ACSI score of 65.

Hilton maintains lead among hotel brands

In the hotel industry, Hilton remains a customer favorite, maintaining first place despite a slight decline to an ACSI rating of 80. IHG closely follows, rising 1% to 79, while both Airbnb and Marriott scored 78.

Marriott Hotels tops individual brands at 82, with Hilton Hotels & Resorts and IHG’s Holiday Inn Express both at 81.

Budget-friendly chains Motel 6 and Baymont ended at the bottom with ratings of 67 and 62, respectively. Traditional hotels continue to adapt amid growing popularity of short-term rental properties like Airbnb.

Enterprise leads car rentals; National takes a dive

National Car Rental, last year’s leading company, experienced a significant 15% plunge to a rating of 71, tumbling to the bottom due to noticeable declines in convenience, pricing value, and personnel helpfulness.

Interestingly, Enterprise, which shares the same parent company, takes the top position this year with a slight increase to 78.

Budget made the biggest progress, climbing 5% to 77, driven by better pick-up services and online presence. Avis dropped 5% to 74, impacted by customer dissatisfaction with the rental experience.

Lyft moves ahead of Uber in rideshare satisfaction

In rideshare services, Lyft overtakes Uber, leading the industry with a 1% increase to 77.

Uber slightly declined to 75. Interestingly, occasional Lyft users reported an impressive 7% satisfaction boost, though frequent riders saw satisfaction drop 3%.

Both rideshare competitors showed declines in several customer experience categories like driver courtesy, ease of locating the driver, and payment options.

Booking.com retains top spot among online travel agencies despite downturn

Booking.com continues to be the highest-rated online travel agency, though it fell 3% to 78. Expedia and smaller agencies also experienced declines, each dropping 3% to 77 and 76, respectively. Priceline declined to 74, and Kayak fell sharply to 69.

Facing the largest decrease, Orbitz fell 10% to an ACSI score of 66, now ranking last within its industry.

With customer satisfaction declining across many sectors, travel businesses find themselves challenged once again by evolving consumer preferences, economic pressures, and intense competition from new travel alternatives. Focusing on improving customer experiences could become essential for companies hoping to regain traveler loyalty and satisfaction.

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