Travel Returns

Travel has been one of the hardest hit industries over the past 18 months – it wasn’t so long ago travelling further than your local area was strongly discouraged. So returning to air travel could feel out of some people’s comfort zone. As the restrictions have been loosened, we wanted to find out how people feel about returning to international travel. Do feelings differ between travel for business or leisure? And how can we as suppliers support passengers safe return to the skies.

The positive news is 43% of those in the survey were completely happy to return to air travel, and a further 36% were comfortable but cautious. Only 19% of respondents were not yet comfortable. The survey then went on to highlight very little discrimination between business and leisure travel as respondents were keen to travel for both purposes.

Of those travelling for business, over 80% of respondents are likely to travel in the next 6-12 months, with a mix of short, medium and long haul flights. It also seems frequency is on the return as 79% expect to fly more than 3 times in the coming 12 months. A really positive sign for the airline industry!

Equally those travelling for leisure, over 80% of respondents are likely to travel over the coming 6-12 months. Primarily these flights are expected to be for medium haul flights (70%), indicating European travel is the preference for UK citizens.

 Unsurprisingly the precautions respondents would take pre-flight would be to take covid tests and wear masks. This is a positive sign passengers are embracing safety procedures in order to continue to pursue their love of travel.

Passengers are also looking to the airlines to protect them during flight. When asked what their expectations are from airlines, cleanliness was high on the agenda. Open communication to passengers is essential as 42% want reassurance on cleaning procedures. Meanwhile 39% expected free hand gel, masks and wipes to support them during the flight to maintain cleanliness standards. Interestingly, the ‘space’ rule implemented by the government continues to be a key protection strategy as 38% have shown an interest in reducing passenger numbers, as a way to protect themselves.

Aside from Covid protection, passengers are looking to airlines to provide food options which continue to meet their needs for health, hygiene and sustainability.  We asked respondents what they are looking for from their in-flight main meal next time they fly and 43% opted for added benefits to the main in-flight meal eg immune boosting or gut health protection. Health was also a priority for the snack as more fresh fruit was the most popular response. Sustainability was a close second choice as passengers are seeking more sustainable and locally sourced food choices in their main meal flight options as well as reducing single use plastic. Conversely, hygienic no touch snacks was high on the preference list. Maybe it’s time for more non plastic sealed snacks to meet those convenience, health and sustainability needs?

If you want to talk to us about the survey and how we can help you develop products to suit your passengers changing preferences, get in touch with one of our team today.