It's summer vacay time, but you might not be as happy with the travel experience as you were last year. According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Travel Study 2025, after winning over customers last year, travel industries are struggling to keep them happy. The latest study found that every travel segment reversed the gains in satisfaction made last year, with airlines, lodging, car rentals, rideshare services, and online travel agencies all losing ground.
“Across much of the travel segment, the satisfaction drop is being driven not by bargain hunters, but by business travelers and other high-value customers,” said Forrest Morgeson, Associate Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University and Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI. “With spending patterns under pressure and pricing power fading, providers are going to need to work harder to deliver consistent value across all customer segments.”
Rental Cars
When it comes to the car rental industry, customer satisfaction dipped 3% to 75 with the number of customer complaints accelerating year over year. Notably, National (owned by Enterprise) is no longer #1 in rental car customer satisfaction, after plummeting to last place of in the industry and a stark contrast to its parent company.
Here's a look at the rental car rankings in the full report (accessible for download following an e-mail signup.)
- Enterprise
- Budget (Avis Budget)
- Hertz
- Avis (Avis Budget)
- Dollar (Hertz)
- National (Enterprise)
Other STUDY HIGHLIGHTS
- AIR TRAVEL: Southwest soars to the top of airlines
- HOTELS: Hilton holds the top spot in lodging, but IHG narrows the gap
- RIDESHARING: Lyft edges out Uber as rideshare satisfaction slips
- BOOKING SITES: Booking.com stays on top despite across-the-board declines
To read a brief on the findings for each industry click here.
Editorial Use Only: JW_PNW/Shutterstock.com. (SEATAC, WA. August 27, 2016.)