South Africans prefer travelling with kulula.com

More than 1,200 customers were surveyed to evaluate their satisfaction with the domestic airline industry and kulula came out as the top low-cost carrier, with a score of 71.5 out of 100.

The survey found that convenience is still key to customer satisfaction along with the importance of a loyalty programme. The benefits of kulula's partnership with Discovery Vitality stood out in the customer's mind, as well as the ease and convenience of kulula's online booking portal.

Survey results also demonstrated that the brand has the most loyal customer base compared to the other local airlines measured. kulula.com's humorous and friendly service approach also made a positive lasting impression.

Striving to improve

"We are thrilled that kulula has been recognised for meeting and exceeding customer satisfaction levels. We constantly strive to innovate and improve our brand offering, in order to make our customer's travel experience as convenient, safe and fun as possible," says Shaun Pozyn, head of marketing for kulula.com.

The report highlighted an overall industry increase in customer satisfaction levels, compared to the previous year. South Africa's industry average of 69.5 out of 100, scores comparatively against other countries, including the United States with a score of 69 and the United Kingdom with a score of 70.

"Customers worldwide are very critical of airline carriers and therefore the industry satisfaction score has been lower than other industries," Prof Adré Schreuder, founder of SAcsi and CEO of Consulta Research, says. "This makes kulula's SAcsi score that much more significant and can thus be compared to some of the world's largest domestic airlines such as Delta and American Airlines. What really differentiates kulula from the rest, is seen in the high positive sentiment towards the attitude and behaviour of their cabin crew. The general consensus is that the crew make flying a fun experience."