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Airbus survey highlights passenger needs

Airbus has revealed the latest findings in a two-year global consultation with more than 1.75 million people to discover what passengers want from flying in the future. The results show that 96% of passengers want flights to be more sustainable, almost 40% want the door-to-door air travel experience to be less stressful, and 63% want to take more flights by 2050. The last point reflects the findings that 60% of those polled do not think social media will replace the need to see people face-to-face.

“Aviation is the real World Wide Web,” stated Charles Champion, Airbus's executive vice president of engineering. “The results of the survey show that there is nothing better than face-to-face contact. The world is woven together by a web of flights that creates ever-expanding social and economic networks: 57 million jobs, 35% of world trade, and US$2.2 trillion in global GDP.

“Since we launched the Future by Airbus, we have engaged with people in 192 countries in a dialogue about the future of air travel. This resulted in our revolutionary Airbus Concept Plane and Cabin, which offer a glimpse into some of the innovations that could meet evolving passenger trends and environmental considerations. It’s clear that people are really excited about the future of sustainable flight and we want them to be part of shaping that future.”

 

The study found that 86% of people think less fuel burn is key and 85% a reduction in carbon emissions, while 66% want quieter aircraft and 65% want aircraft which are fully recyclable.

But Champion noted that as more people fly more often, the greater their expectations will be for the ‘end-to-end passenger experience.’ The Airbus consultation highlights a predictable list of gripes: queues at passport control; slow check-in and baggage collection; sitting on the tarmac; and circling in holding patterns around airports.

“In London for example we’ve seen concern about queues at airports and people are understandably not happy about it,” he added. “But the reality is those capacity constraints are a sign of things to come unless the industry can work together to cut delays, and with aviation set to double in the next 15 years, that’s what we’re looking at.”

More than 90% of the €2 billion that Airbus spends on R&D is directed at improving the environmental performance of its aircraft. The latest generation includes the A380; a fuel-efficient ‘new engine option’ for the A320 family, the A320neo; and the A350 XWB that is claimed will provide a 25% step-change in fuel efficiency whilst giving passengers more space on board.

See below for a graphic of the findings from the study:

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