Travelling isn’t always fun and easy. Of course, there’s that excitement of stepping into a foreign land and discovering new things you’ve only seen on your screens before. However, there’s one thing that even the most enthusiastic travellers dread – travelling by air.
A new study has revealed that airline passengers now despise flying more than ever – even though there haven’t been any changes about it. Many people would agree that air travelling is no longer viewed as a very enjoyable experience. And it’s not just about the long, often uncomfortable length of travel, what with all the shrinking legroom on planes in addition to long queues in security and immigration.
A whopping 92 percent of travellers have stated that today’s air travel experience makes many exciting trips feel a lot less fun than a short weekend break in Bath City, England, for example.
The results from the most recent UK Aviation Consumer Survey showed that more passengers are unsatisfied with the current quality of service in many onboard flights. However, not too many people think that air travel is actually getting worse. Perhaps, it has a lot to do with the idea that when there are no changes, people become more unsatisfied.
From 2017 to present, there has been a significant slip on the satisfaction level of people regarding their overall travel experience, from 90 percent to 83 percent. In terms of onboard services, the satisfaction level dropped from 81 percent to 77 percent. But what’s interesting is that many airline passengers are more likely to think that air travel is actually getting better. Fifty-three percent of the survey participants believe that the experience of flying today is about the same level as it has always been, whereas another 29 percent thought there have been some improvements.
Important Factors that Affect the Overall Experience
There are two significant factors that contribute to whether or not a travel experience is satisfactory: the actual experience during the flight and how smooth the baggage collection is at the destination airport. After all, lost baggage is a common problem among many travellers.
The two biggest causes of dissatisfaction among passengers are flight delays and travel disruption. These two are brought about by a number of factors – some within the control of the airlines while others are not. However, it doesn’t matter what these causes may be. Delays can be truly inconvenient and frustrating for passengers. What makes it an even bigger issue is when airlines are unable to offer quick and accurate information to their passengers when there are some changes. Some couldn’t even provide assistance and compensation, especially during long delays. However, the numbers are relatively small.
Here’s some good news: the majority of passengers now feel that there have been some improvements in terms of complaint handling. The same survey revealed that they’ve recorded an all-time high in terms of satisfaction among passengers when it comes to the way their complaints are being handled. But the numbers are still at 64 percent. Clearly, there’s still some room for improvement.
