And this year's best airline is ...

Despite rising airline ticket prices and fees for everything from checked bags to changed flights, airline passengers are increasingly satisfied with their flights. Really! Satisfaction with North American airlines rose for a second straight year, according to J.D Power and Associates' 2014 North America Airline Satisfaction Study, released Wednesday. Satisfaction measured at a record high 712 points on a scale of 1,000. That's a 17-point increase from 2013. The airline satisfaction study measures passenger satisfaction with North American airlines based on seven criteria in order of importance: costs and fees; in-flight services; boarding, deplaning and baggage; flight crew, aircraft; check-in; and reservations, CNN reports. Passengers don't even mind the costs and fees as much anymore: Satisfaction with costs and fees rose from 618 last year to 642 this year. Alaska Airlines continued to rank first among North American legacy carriers, increasing its customers' satisfaction by 20 points to 737 points, followed by Delta Air Lines in second place (693 points) and American Airlines in third place (684 points). The average rating for the legacy carriers was 683 points out of a possible 1,000. Air Canada came in fourth with 683 points, followed by United Airlines (658 points) and US Airways (656 points). "Alaska Airlines has been a pretty perennial winner in the traditional carrier category," says Rick Garlick, J.D. Power's global travel and hospitality practice lead. "It's never easy to get to the top, and it's tough to stay there." Garlick notes Alaska's efforts to provide customers with a "very positive" in-flight experience, including improvements in seat comfort, entertainment and in some cases, allowing passengers to exit the aircraft from two places. "They strive to get better, and it creates overall an halo effect about how people feel about the airline." Read more