These Travel Companies Have The Best Customer Service In 2023

If you’re looking for the best customer service in travel, you might be surprised by what you find. Companies that are known to offer excellent service have been prone to service lapses. Businesses that are traditional laggards have upped their game.

And if you’re booking a trip this summer, you may be confused.

Travel is back in 2023. The latest Expedia Traveler Insights report suggests travel interest is taking off. In the last quarter of 2022, 35 percent of overall searches were for travel in 2023 — a 55 percent increase from last year. It noted “reassuring signs of enduring enthusiasm for travel amidst growing economic headwinds.”

Most Americans don’t buy travel based on customer service alone. They look for a low price or to see if they use rewards through their frequent travel programs. But wouldn’t it be nice to hear what actual travelers have to say about who has the best customer service? Well, that’s the reason I created the Elliott Advocacy Readers’ Choice Awards.

Now in their 18th year, the awards poll readers of my nonprofit consumer advocacy site on the top airline, car rental company, hotel and travel insurance company.

Here are the best companies for customer service, according to readers:

Best domestic airline for customer service: Delta Air Lines

Delta has been a reliable number-two for the last few years, behind customer service champion Southwest Airlines. But this year’s polling took place amid Southwest’s embarrassing holiday meltdown, which handed a victory to Delta.

Delta has also been working hard to improve customer service, including adding new facilities at LAX and refreshing its inflight food and beverage offerings. Readers said they appreciated the reliability and quality of service they received from the airline at a time when air travel is unreliable and plagued by poor service.

Best international airline for customer service: British Airways

British Airways’ win was no surprise. It’s been number one on the Readers’ Choice Award list for the last three years. What is a surprise is that it managed to pull off another win despite this summer’s travel chaos in Europe (remember the luggage piled up at Heathrow?).

So how did that happen? A look at the airline cases my consumer advocacy organization received shows how quickly the British carrier moved to fix the service problems. Often, they were addressed before I could even ask. Clearly, BA has put customer service front and center. Last month, CEO Sean Doyle said his “number one priority” was to address the call center problems customers have faced when trying to contact the airline — so obviously, BA isn’t resting on its laurels.

Best car rental company for customer service: Hertz

Now here’s a surprise. After a difficult bankruptcy, Hertz won for the first time in years. During difficult times, customer service is often the lowest priority. But last year, the company invested in new technology that upgraded customer experience using real-time, data-driven insights. That partnership appears to have paid off. Hertz also made a big investment in electric vehicles. Customer complaints are way down, too, which is making readers happy.

Best cruise line for customer service: Viking

This one was also a surprise. True, Viking has been winning awards left and right in the last year, claiming top honors from two prominent travel magazines. And it’s also true that Viking has been expanding its offerings, welcoming new ocean vessels, expedition ships and river cruise vessels.

So why the surprise? Customers also have a fair number of complaints about Viking refunds, some going as far back as the start of the pandemic. But Viking has overcome this hurdle, and there were far more fans than detractors, handing Viking a decisive win.

Best hotel for customer service: Marriott

When it comes to customer service, Marriott has been the hotel chain to beat for a while. Customer service is ingrained in its corporate culture. And to its credit, the company doesn’t rest on its laurels. Last year Marriott’s famous Design Lab teamed up with LG to develop new technologies that can be integrated into daily hotel operations to save energy, reduce costs, increase operational efficiency, and encourage customer loyalty.

Marriott is also among the least complained-about hotel chains, which is saying a lot considering its size. It addresses most complaints quickly and to the customer’s satisfaction — even the ones involving Bonvoy, its loyalty program.

Best online travel agency for customer service: Booking.com

Booking.com’s customer service improvements have been incremental in 2022 — upgrading its loyalty program and expanding its product offerings. But underlying all that is 24/7 support that has made Booking.com and its affiliate sites one of the easiest to work with. Readers say they appreciate the intuitive user interface and transparent prices.

Best travel insurance: Allianz

Allianz has led in this category for years, and with good reason: It offers some of the best customer support in the industry. The company has doubled down on technology investment to ensure travelers get answers to their travel insurance questions quickly.

Allianz has introduced new products and new ways of paying claims faster. And that technology paid off. While other travel insurance companies struggled under the weight of last summer’s claims, Allianz quickly processed almost all of them, with virtually no complaints from readers.

Best vacation rental platform: Airbnb

With 6 million active listings and 54 million active bookers, Airbnb is the largest vacation rental platform in the world. But it also spent a fair amount of time improving customer service in 2022, including a ban on parties and an enhanced Aircover guarantee. A big selection and better service made it a favorite of readers. Also, Airbnb seems to have resolved its worst problem: banning guests without explanation.

Want more consumer buying advice for 2023? Here’s a full list of 2023 Readers’ Choice winners.