Travelers are eager to return to the skies and are altering their views on the safety of air travel during the pandemic, research from OAG shows.
The Global Travel Sentiment Survey, conducted over the summer and involving more than 4,000 global travelers, found that most people are prepared to fly if the circumstances are right. While many consumers remain wary of catching COVID-19 while traveling, the overall fear factor (as it relates to catching the virus while at the airport or flying) is encouraging for the aviation industry. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being not concerned with catching the virus while traveling and 10 being very concerned, 52 percent of respondents rated their fear level at 5 or below – and only 32 percent said it was an 8 or higher.
The OAG survey showed that nearly one-third of travelers have not adjusted their travel habits as a result of the virus. Of the remaining respondents, 37 percent said they will fly if it’s critical, 25 percent will fly directly and avoid using connecting flights and airports, and 10 percent will fly during off-peak times.
Overall, more than three-quarters of consumers said they were planning to fly domestically in the next six months, compared to 69 percent who are planning to fly internationally. For North America specifically (including Canada, the United States and Mexico), the results are even more promising. More than four-fifths (81 percent) of North American travelers plan to fly domestically in the next six months, while 73 percent said they will fly internationally.
Within North America, 40 percent of survey respondents said they are most afraid of catching COVID-19 on the plane. That compares to 16 percent who were most nervous about the airport, 9 percent about public transportation and 6 percent about their destination. Nineteen percent of respondents chose none of those venues.
