Concerns around delayed flights, surging air fares and airport congestion are not putting travellers off air travel ahead of the summer peak, new research has found.
Anxiety around flight cancellations was cited by 32% of passengers when booking their next flight.
Nearly two out of 10 passengers surveyed cited concerns around congestion in the airport and pointed to high fares.
This was fuelled by past experience, where 56% of respondents said they had suffered delays or cancellations and 48% long airport queues.
Yet travellers intend to fly more than ever. On average, passengers expect to take 4.7 flights this year compared to 4.2 flights in pre-pandemic 2019.
This was driven mainly by frequent flyers. Those planning more than 10 flights in 2023 have increased from 6% of passengers in 2019 to 10% this year.
The preliminary findings were disclosed from a passenger insights study by aviation industry IT provider Sita.
The company surveyed more than 6,000 passengers across 27 countries in April. The full report is due to be released on September 5.
Chief executive David Lavorel said: “It is encouraging for our industry that passengers want to travel and want to travel better in light of some of the challenges airports and airlines have experienced with congestion in the past year.
“We cannot dismiss the fact that the overall experience of air travel is an essential element in passengers’ decision-making.
“With passengers indicating a clear intention to travel more this year, the industry is well advised to address their concerns, for example, with increased automation.”
The industry’s IT spend is projected to continue a steady year-on-year growth trend since 2020 to support digitalisation and automation. Last year, airline and airport IT spending rose to an estimated $37 billion and $6.8 billion, respectively, according to Sita.