As 2013 turns out to be one of the busiest travel summers in recent years, Americans continue to complain about flying the friendly skies and the hassles of air travel. Surprisingly, an overwhelming majority of consumers gave the U.S. airline industry a big thumbs-up on overall appeal and brand loyalty, according to a recent survey on the airline industry conducted by E-Score^®, a leading consumer research service that provides information to media and entertainment companies. The survey also showed that despite overall positive feelings toward U.S. airlines, consumers did not give high marks for attributes such as reliability or trustworthiness.

Following are survey results from participants who only responded for airlines they have previously flown. Loyalty indicates willingness to fly on the airline again; reliable, trustworthy, practical and family friendly percentages are from list of attributes respondents are asked to select to describe each brand.

Note: E-Score surveyed 1,100 persons with general representation across income, age, education and geographic demographics to represent a cross-section of the U.S. population.

“While only a handful of consumers feel the airlines are reliable and trustworthy, the higher scores for appeal would seem to indicate a price and convenience sensitivity,” said Gerry

Philpott, president of E-Poll Market Research. “Similarly, the survey suggests the relatively solid loyalty scores for Virgin, JetBlue and Southwest are reflective of consumers not being nickel-and-dimed for things like bags and meals.”