A new study finds that overall customer satisfaction with airport car rental companies has increased, even as congestion and logistical challenges linked to airport construction continue to affect operations.
The J.D. Power 2017 North American Rental Car Satisfaction Study, released last month, attributes much of the improvement in customer satisfaction to a notable decline in rental rates.
Overall satisfaction rose by 22 points to 826 on a 1,000-point scale in 2017. That increase coincides with an average daily price drop of $11 over the past year. At the same time, the average wait time for airport rental pick-up rose by two minutes, indicating that lower prices rather than faster service largely drove the satisfaction gain.
The study also highlights that customer-reported problems remain focused on the rental process: 20 percent of customers who experienced an issue said it occurred during pick-up, while 17 percent identified problems during return.
“Rental car satisfaction is improving, but it’s not the type of improvement rental car companies would necessarily prefer,” said Michael Taylor, travel practice lead at J.D. Power. “Lower prices are improving perceived value for renters and lifting overall satisfaction levels, but several quality measures — notably wait times and issues with pick-up and return — have not improved over the past four years. For most renters, however, cheaper daily rental rates outweigh those negatives.”