Air Travelers in America: Survey Highlights February 28, 2017
John P. Heimlich Chris Jackson Vice President & Chief Economist Vice President Airlines for America Ipsos Public Affairs Ipsos Research Approach
» A4A again selected Ipsos, one of the top polling firms in the country. » Ipsos conducted a poll January 6-13, 2017 on behalf of Airlines for America. For the survey, a sample of 5,047 adults age 18+ from the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii was interviewed online in English. » The sample for this study was randomly drawn from Ipsos’s online panel, partner online panel sources, and “river” sampling and does not rely on a population frame in the traditional sense. Ipsos uses fixed sample targets, unique to each study, in drawing sample. » After a sample has been obtained from the Ipsos panel, Ipsos calibrates respondent characteristics to be representative of the U.S. population using standard procedures such as raking-ratio adjustments. The source of these population targets is U.S. Census 2015 American Community Survey data. The sample drawn for this study reflects fixed sample targets on demographics. Post-hoc weights were made to the population characteristics on gender, age, region, race/ethnicity and income.
Source: Ipsos survey of American adults (January 2017)
2 airlines.org Ipsos Poll Accuracy
» Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online polls. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error and measurement error. Where figures do not sum to 100, this is due to the effects of rounding. » The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 1.6 percentage points for all respondents. » Ipsos calculates a design effect (DEFF) for each study based on the variation of the weights, following the formula of Kish (1965). This study had a credibility interval adjusted for design effect of the following (n=5,047, DEFF=1.5, adjusted Confidence Interval=3.1).
Source: Ipsos survey of American adults (January 2017)
3 airlines.org About Half the American Population Traveled by Airline in 2016 Almost 90 Percent of Americans Have Traveled by Airline in Their Lifetimes
% of U.S. Adult Population That Flew… 100 89 90 Past 12 Months Ever 80 70 60 49 49 50 40 30 21 20 10
0
1971 1972 1973 1974 1977 1979 1981 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1997 2015 2016
Source: Gallup and Ipsos Public Affairs
4 airlines.org On Average, American Adults Took 2.2 Airline Trips in 2016; Fliers Took 4.5 Trips Six Percent of Americans and 11 Percent of Fliers Took Nine or More Trips
All American Adults 2016 Airline Travelers % of all Americans take X trips % of 2016 fliers take X trips 0 trips 51 1 trip 27 1 trip 13 2 trips 20 2 trips 10 3 trips 13 3 trips 6 4 trips 13 4 trips 6 Average 5 trips 5 Average 5 trips 3 2.2 trips 4.5 trips 6 trips 6 6 trips 3 7 trips 3 7 trips 1 8 trips 1 8 trips 2 9+ trips 6 9+ trips 11
Source: Gallup and Ipsos Public Affairs
5 airlines.org More Than Ever Before, Americans Are Traveling by Airline for Personal Reasons
% of Trips by Purpose 100 90 Business Personal 80 69 70 60 50 40 31 30 20 10
0
2016 1977 1979 1981 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1997 2015
Source: Gallup and Ipsos Public Affairs
6 airlines.org Half of 2016 Airline Trips Were Taken Primarily for Leisure; 31 Percent for Business
Composition of Airline Trips Taken by Primary Purpose in 2016
Per 2016 Flier Per American
Business 31% 1.4 0.7
Personal Leisure 51% 2.3 1.1
Personal Non- leisure* 18% 0.8 0.4
4.5 2.2
* Includes traveling to/from college, family event, job interview, funeral, medical matters
7 airlines.org Propensity to Fly Varies Widely by Race/Ethnicity and Age Group
2016 Airline Trips by Race/Ethnicity 2016 Airline Trips by Age Among American Adults Among American Adults
3.4 3.3
2.6 2.2 2.2 2.2
1.5 1.3 1.1 1.1 1.1
18-24 25-44 45-64 65+ All
Source: Ipsos survey of American adults (January 2017)
8 airlines.org 68 Percent of 2016 Fliers Belong to at Least One Airline Frequent Flier Program Only 13 Percent Reported Having Elite Status
Enrollment in Frequent Flier Programs
55%
32%
13%
Yes, but not elite Yes, have elite status No
Source: Ipsos survey of American adults (January 2017)
9 airlines.org When Choosing an Airline, Price Is Top Consideration Regardless of Trip Purpose Price and Schedule Are Most Important Criteria, Followed by Reliability and Comfort
When traveling for business/personal, how would you rank the following in terms of choosing which airline to fly, with 1 being your first priority and 8 being your last priority?
Business Personal Criteria Rank Score Score Affordability (airfare / ancillaries / taxes) 1 2.89 2.40 Flight schedule (routes, timings) 2 3.21 3.32 Reliability of on-time departure and arrival 3 4.00 4.11 Airline seat comfort 4 4.34 4.34 Customer service (reservation/gate agents, flight attendants) 5 4.59 4.75 Quality of inflight amenities (food / entertainment / WiFi) 6 5.27 5.19 Airline frequent flier program (earn/redeem/upgrade/status) 7 5.56 5.61 Environmental responsibility 8 6.13 6.27
Source: Ipsos survey of American adults (January 2017)
10 airlines.org 85 Percent of 2016 Fliers Reported Being Somewhat or Very Satisfied Satisfaction Up From 2015; Those Who Were “Very Dissatisfied” Unchanged at 1 Percent
Satisfaction with “Overall Experience With Air Travel” in 2016
35% Very satisfied 43%
44% Somewhat satisfied 42%
14% Neutral 10%
5% 2015 Somewhat dissatisfied 5% 2016
1% Very dissatisfied 1%
Source: Ipsos surveys of American adults (December 2015 and January 2017)
11 airlines.org Those Aged 18-34 Exhibit the Highest Levels of Air Travel Satisfaction*
Satisfaction* % Among 2016 Fliers by Age, Gender and Household Income
100 90 90.1 80 85.1 86.5 84.7 86.8 83.3 81.3 83.5 83.7 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 All 18-34 35-54 55+ Male Female < $50K $50-99K $100K+
Source: Ipsos survey of American adults (January 2017) * Somewhat or very satisfied
12 airlines.org 48% of 2016 Fliers Said All Flights Satisfactory; 39% Said Most Were Satisfactory
Of all the flights you took in 2016, what amount were satisfactory to you?
0.3 2 10
All were satisfactory 48 Most were satisfactory About half and half Most were unsatisfactory 39 All were unsatisfactory
Source: Ipsos survey of American adults (January 2017)
13 airlines.org Overwhelming Majority of 2016 Fliers Reported Satisfaction With Most/All Flights
% of 2016 Fliers Reporting That Most or All 2016 Flights Were Satisfactory
100 90 89.4 88.3 89.1 80 87.0 86.6 84.7 85.6 86.5 85.4 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 All 18-34 35-54 55+ Male Female < $50K $50-99K $100K +
Source: Ipsos survey of American adults (January 2017)
14 airlines.org The Vast Majority (81%) of Complaints to U.S. Airlines Are Resolved Satisfactorily
In 2016, if you submitted a complaint directly to a U.S. airline, did the airline address your complaint satisfactorily?
19
81
Yes No
Source: Ipsos survey of American adults (January 2017)
15 airlines.org 2016 Fliers Most Satisfied With Checking In, Followed by Shopping/Booking Flights Fliers Gave All Six Categories an Average Score Exceeding 3
In 2016, on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest), how would you rate your overall satisfaction with each of the following?
Phase of Trip Rank Avg. Score (1-5)
Checking in for the flight 1 3.94
Shopping for/purchasing ticket 2 3.90
Boarding process 3 3.70
Reliability of on-time departure and arrival 4 3.69
Awaiting checked baggage upon arrival at destination 5 3.55
Getting through security 6 3.46
Source: Ipsos survey of American adults (January 2017)
16 airlines.org Flier Satisfaction Rises Markedly With Enrollment in Expedited Screening Programs Airline/Government Collaboration Boosting Participation in DHS Trusted Traveler Programs
% of 2016 Fliers Indicating “Very Satisfied” With Overall Air Travel Experience
Global Entry Very, 68% Somewhat, 24% 92%
TSA Pre✓® Very, 50% Somewhat, 38% 88%
Neither Very, 36% Somewhat, 46% 82%
Millions of Persons Enrolled in DHS Trusted Traveler Programs (Dec. 31)
2016 4.2 5.3
2015 2.0 4.0
2014 0.8 3.1
TSA Pre✓ Global Entry/NEXUS/SENTRI
Sources: Ipsos survey of American adults (January 2017), Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Protection
17 airlines.org Among 2016 Fliers, Cost Is Biggest Barrier to Enrollment in Expedited Screening But 30% of Respondents Claim to Be Unaware of Either TSA Pre✓® or CBP Global Entry
What is the primary reason you are not enrolled in either of these expedited screening programs?
13
6 Costs outweigh benefits 43 Not aware of the program 8 Too difficult to enroll Refuse to share personal info Other 30
Source: Ipsos survey of American adults (January 2017)
18 airlines.org 78% of Americans Support Separation of Air Traffic Control (ATC) Operations and Safety As Long As Federal Government Continues to Oversee/Regulate Safety
Some have proposed that an effective way to modernize the air traffic control system would be to transfer day-to-day operations to an independent non-profit with continued federal regulatory oversight of safety. Such an approach would be more in line with international best practices. Do you favor or oppose such a plan?
4 15 18 Strongly favor Somewhat favor Somewhat oppose Strongly oppose
63
Source: Ipsos survey of American adults (January 2017)
19 airlines.org Most Americans Will Fly as Much or More in 2017 as They Did in 2016
Including both business travel and personal travel, do you think you will take more or fewer airline trips in 2017 than you did in 2016?
17% 28%
56%
More Same Fewer
Source: Ipsos survey of American adults (January 2017)
20 airlines.org Those Who Plan to Fly More in 2017 Cited Personal Need/Desire as Primary Factor
What is the primary factor that will result in more air travel in 2017?
Personal need/desire 43%
Increase in income/wealth 17%
Business need 15%
Air travel affordability 11%
Airline schedule convenience 8%
Other 7%
Source: Ipsos survey of American adults (January 2017)
21 airlines.org www.airlines.org