Thrills gets ticks, bad seats get the flick

Thrills gets ticks, bad seats get the flick

TripAdvisor has announced the results of its annual air travel survey of more than 10,000 respondents in Australia.

Regional travel remains popular amongst Aussie travellers as 90% of travellers intend to fly on a short haul flight at least once in 2015, up slightly from 88%.

More travellers are expecting to fly further afield this year, as 78% intend to travel on a long-haul flight, compared to 75% who did so in 2014.

“For the 2nd year in a row, flyers have named seating comfort as their number one concern and airlines need to take note of these complaints and make the necessary improvements, especially in the economy cabin for long haul flights,” TripAdvisor Flights, APAC regional director Andrew Wong said.

“Online booking, price comparison and airport check-in process on the other hand have been cited as the most improved aspects of air travel this year.”

When asked what they enjoyed most about the air travel experience, travellers listed the excitement and adventure of jet-setting at the top of the list.

Top 5 things travellers like most about air travel:

  1. Thrill of getting to a new destination – 77%
  2. Sense of adventure – 58%
  3. In-flight amenities – 35%
  4. Looking out of the plane’s window during take-off / landing – 32%
  5. Chance to take a break from work (e.g. email) during the flight – 25%

When asked what they enjoyed least about the air travel experience, travellers identified discomfort aboard the flight, along with additional airline fees as the top frustrations.

Top 5 things travellers like least about flying:

  1. Uncomfortable seats / limited legroom – 76%
  2. Added fees (e.g., baggage fees, seat selection fees, etc.) – 57%
  3. Unpredictable flight delays / cancellations – 56%
  4. Loud / crying children – 55%
  5. Long security lines / customs wait times – 40%

79% of flyers are “strongly opposed” to airlines installing narrower seats in the economy class cabin, while 41% of flyers “always” or “often” pay extra for a better airplane seat assignment.

64% say they are more likely to pay for a better seat assignment now than they were five years ago.

Given shrinking seats, it comes as no surprise that the biggest improvement travellers want is more space. Here are the top three amenities travellers say would make the air travel experience better:

  1. More legroom – 33%
  2. More space between other passengers – 25%
  3. More comfortable seats – 21%

When asked about the top air travel improvements over the past five years, travellers gave ease of booking flights and the opening of new flight routes to new destinations as their top choices.

Top five biggest improvements in air travel:

  1. Ease of booking online – 76%
  2. Comparison shopping on flight search sites – 61%
  3. Number of flight / itinerary options – 59%
  4. In-flight entertainment options – 50%
  5. Ability to find comprehensive fare, flight and price information on a single site – 48%

While the vast majority of flyers say they typically book flights on their laptop or PC (75%), 23% say they have booked a flight on a mobile device.

90% of travellers say it’s important to use flight search sites for price comparison, and 58 % of travellers check 2-3 sites when shopping for airfare. 54% of flyers are loyal to a particular airline, with 72% of those noting that it’s because of the airline’s frequent flyer program.

According to the Australian Aviation and Airfare Analysis – Full-Year Edition, Managing Director of the Flight Centre Travel Group Graham Turner said air travel continued to represent excellent value for money with economy class affordability when considered in real terms and factoring in average wages.

“Today’s traveller reaps the benefit of living in the ‘golden era of travel’ and will continue to, for at least another two decades. Domestic and international air travel now represents unprecedented value for customers in terms of price and product,” Turner said.

CEO of Travelport Gordon Wilson said “the airline industry will remain highly competitive but progressive in its product and service offerings. In many cases, consumers will effectively pay the same or perhaps more for tickets despite fuel price reductions as airlines substitute surcharges for baseline price increases and additional fees for unbundled services.”

“Before everyone protests too much [about fare increases], it is important that airlines make money. Return on capital in the industry remains poor and it is not healthy for the aviation sector to have as much red ink as has been the case in the past few years.”

Steve Limbrick Executive Manager of Qantas Sales, Marketing and Distribution, made reference in his commentary to travel safety and security.

“Price competitiveness will always be fundamental. Clearly though, the concept of duty of care for corporate travellers is broader than price alone. And it’s the responsibility of airlines as providers of travel to explain what we can offer in more sophisticated terms.”

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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