Study reveals cheaper airlines record less number of complaints than network carriers

A recent study by MIT suggests that passengers of low-cost carriers tend to complain less, inspite of zero variation in the quality of service, when compared to more expensive airlines.

In a study published in the Journal of Air Transport Management, Michael Wittman, a graduate student in MIT's International Center for Air Transportation compared airline-related complaints made to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) from 2002 to 2012.

Following his research, Witman figured that irrespective of the nature of service failure, the number of complaints pertaining to network carriers was more than the complaints against low-cost carriers.

Wittman, however, said that several factors such as unawareness of passengers travelling by low-cost carriers, regarding their right to complaint to the federal government as well as their service quality expectations of the cheaper flight could explain the discrepancy.

Meanwhile, he said that in order to get a more comprehensive view of the relationship between consumer perceptions and actual service quality, one would have to look through complaints submitted directly to individual airlines.