Passenger Terminal Today - Elizabeth Baker
Airports Council International (ACI) World has published the annual ASQ Global Traveller Survey – revealing the highest intention to travel by passengers since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 2022 survey found that 76% of frequent travelers before the Covid-19 pandemic were planning to travel in 2021-2022; 68% of them actually actioned those plans. Additionally, 86% of respondents are planning to travel by air in the year to come. According to the organization, this is the highest intention score since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. The removal or loosening of many barriers and crisis measures reportedly contributed to these results. Travelers’ confidence that airports and airlines provide a safe environment for passengers has also increased compared to 2021 and is back to the 2020 level: 81% are confident compared to 74% in 2021. Travelers’ perceptions of air travel, particularly their negative concerns, have also shifted. Travelers are now mainly concerned about the increased costs (77%) and complexity (75%) related to air travel.
The report also found that 71% of respondents still expect airports to provide measures that keep them feeling safe. However, the top expected measure has shifted from masks to improved cleanliness (selected by 31% of respondents). Other sources of concern about traveling relate to operational disruptions such as long waiting times and crowded airports. This may have been caused by the challenges faced by the industry during the peak surge of passenger traffic in mid-2022.
