A growing number of air travellers are frustrated with poor customer service, according to a J.D. Power and Associates survey. (Paul Beaty/Associated Press)

Overall satisfaction with the North American airline industry has dropped to its lowest level in three years, largely owing to flagging customer service, according to a consumer satisfaction survey.

Customers interviewed in the J.D. Power and Associates survey, released by the consumer research company Wednesday, said they had grown less satisfied with the knowledge and courtesy demonstrated by gate agents and flight crew.

Travellers were asked to rank their satisfaction with cost and fees, flight crew, in-flight services, aircraft, boarding, deplaning, baggage, check-in and reservation. The drop in customer-service satisfaction from 2007's levels was double the drop in satisfaction with price, according to J.D. Power.

"Across the airline experience, from check-in, to the flight, to deplaning, passengers are being affected by the ramifications of carriers making staff cutbacks and have expressed that performance and attitudes of airline staff are suffering," said Sam Thanawalla, J.D. Power spokesman, in a release.

Air Canada improves in rankings

Alaska Airlines and Continental Airlines earned the highest ranking among traditional carriers while JetBlue Airways topped the low-cost carrier listing. Air Canada, the only Canadian carrier included in the survey, and Alaska Airlines were the only two airlines to improve their rankings in 2008.

The rankings were determined based on interviews with 19,701 passengers who flew on a major North American airline between April 2007 and March 2008.

Industry analyst Deepak Agarwal, with Avmark Inc., said consumers should expect to see airlines trim back all frills.

"The service will be cut down," he said. "You'll have to pay for everything to anything starting from a bottle of water to peanuts."

In recent months, rising oil prices have prompted major airlines to boost their fuel surcharges, introduce new fees for first and second checked bags and scale back routes. Air Canada on Tuesday said it was eliminating 2,000 jobs and reducing its capacity, owing to high fuel costs.

Air Canada also recently raised its ticket prices by $40 for short-haul flights and $80 for flights of more than 1,601.6 kilometres. Calgary-based airline WestJet has increased its ticket prices by $20 for short-haul flights and $45 for long-haul flights.