New Research · 2026

Experience is the promise. Are you delivering it?

A new joint study from Experience Investigators and Thematic analyzed thousands of real customer reviews across six major US airlines (American, Delta, United, JetBlue, Spirit, and Breeze) to test whether the brands that promise the best experience actually deliver it. The findings apply to every brand, in every industry.

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What's Inside

The gap between brand promise and
customer reality, measured.

Before adding Thematic to a budget as a new line item, account for what it removes from that same budget.

JetBlue

The promise gap is measurable

JetBlue promises "You Above All." Its Fairness score is among the lowest in the study. We show you exactly which moments break the promise, and why customers notice instantly.
Breeze · Spirit

Your app is now a frontline employee

App glitches drive 9.5% of Breeze's negative Ease score. Spirit, a budget carrier, beats Breeze on ease of booking. Digital experience is brand experience now.
DELTA

Recovery beats perfection

Delta isn't the most reliable airline on paper. But when things go wrong, its customer service preserves trust. The data shows operational recovery, not flawless operations, is what protects the brand promise.
ON-DEMAND WEBINAR

Watch the researchers unpack what the data really showed.

Jeannie Walters and Dr. Alyona Medelyan went beyond the report, sharing the methodology, the patterns they didn't expect, and how to apply the CX alignment framework to your own organization. The full session is ready when you are.

  • ~45 minutes including live Q&A diagnostic
  • Watch anytime, no scheduling required
Watch the replay

Jeannie Walters

Founder & CEO, Experience Investigators

25 years helping CX leaders close the gap between brand promise and customer reality. Author of Experience is Everything. One of the most sought-after voices on customer experience leadership.

Dr. Alyona Medelyan

CEO & Co-founder, Thematic

PhD in AI. 20+ years building algorithms that make sense of unstructured text at scale. Thematic helps hundreds of organizations turn customer feedback into actionable intelligence.

Customer experience isn’t a slogan or initiative. It’s the cumulative outcome of thousands of decisions made across the organization.

Experience Investigators - THEMATIC
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