Younger people see high airline fares as the biggest barrier to travel rather than environmental concerns.
Among people who did not fly recently, 38% identified costs as the reason, with just 7% citing environmental considerations, according to the latest Civil Aviation Authority aviation consumer survey.
“Budgetary constraints are – by some distance – the most frequent reason given for not having flown in the last 12 months, with two fifths of consumers who have not flown recently citing this as a factor,” the report said.
“This year’s results reinforce the shift in the demographic profile of recent flyers observed last year, with recent flyers skewing much younger than pre-pandemic.”
Consumers are flying in the highest numbers since the survey began in 2016, with 62% having flown in the last 12 months.
Satisfaction with the overall travel experience rose to its highest level since pre-Covid 2019, with 84% of consumers satisfied overall with the experience on their most recent flight, according to the poll of 3,500 people.
“The booking process continues to be the element of the travel experience which sees highest satisfaction, though most consumers would still like more information around costs.”
Cutting the cost of flying was found to be the most widespread priority amongst consumers.
However, consumers do not feel the industry’s priorities align with their own, particularly in reducing the cost and environmental impact of flying – two areas where relatively few consumers believe the industry is genuinely committed, the study noted.
“Value for money is the only element of air travel tested where satisfaction still lags significantly behind pre-pandemic levels,” the report said.
“Budgetary challenges – whether the cost of air travel specifically, or disposable income being squeezed by an increase in the cost of living more generally – are the most widely cited reasons for not having flown recently.
“These are identified as a barrier to having flown recently in significantly higher numbers than any other factor.
“All age groups cite budgetary reasons in much higher numbers than any other factor.
“However, there are still notable differences by age here. Those aged 55 and over are significantly less likely to identify budgetary reasons as a reason for not having flown than younger consumers, and are significantly more likely to cite health or disability reasons, long queues, and concern about flight disruption and/or cancellation.
“Disruption negatively impacts consumer satisfaction, but also appears to erode consumer trust in the industry more widely – including in areas apparently unrelated to travel issues such as reducing the cost and environmental impact of flying.
“Attitudes towards the environment are similar to those seen last year, with widespread concern about the environment, but relatively few consumers willing to fly less or pay more to offset the environmental impact of flying.
“As seen last year, consumers tend to see paying for environmental measures as the airline’s responsibility rather than their own.
“Younger consumers clearly care about the environmental impact of aviation, but results suggest that the affordability of flying may be of greater importance to them.”
Of the total, three in 10 (30%) expect that they will take more flights over the next 12 months – over three times as many as the proportion who anticipate flying less (9%).
Younger adults (those aged 18-34) are nearly twice as likely as those aged 55 and over to anticipate an increase in their air travel compared to the previous 12-month period.