ACI World, part of the Airports Council International (ACI) Federation, has completed its latest Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Global Traveller Survey. The report gathered the views of more than 4,000 travellers from 30 countries, who have travelled by air at least once in the past 12 months, and the findings show a positive intention to travel, despite certain downturns in the global economy.
The findings of the survey will be used to inform changes in the air travel experience, especially the airport environment, to better meet changing traveller behaviours and expectations, as well as to monitor the potential impact of external events on the air travel industry.
Key findings:
- The survey found that, globally, 54% of respondents travelling for leisure and personal reasons reported that economic and geopolitical events have influenced their travel plans in the past year.
- While travellers reported a high perceived impact of the economic situation on their travel habits, little evidence was found on the impact of the economy on their actual travel behaviours in the past 12 months or on their forecasted behaviours for the next 12 months.
- Indeed, the survey found that travellers are eager to travel. 56% of respondents said they are planning to travel within the next three months, compared to 51% the same time last year.
Five key consumer trends that will influence traveller behaviours and preferences were also identified
- Automation: 58% of travellers say they favour technological and automated approaches to enhance their travel experience. However, there is still a preference for human interactions in crucial steps such as security control and immigration processes.
- Personalisation of travel experience: 74% of travellers would use an app that pushes personalised information if it would make their journey more fluid.
- Emotional engagement: passengers expect the airport experience to be lifted above the historic standard of the airport journey, particularly as they seek stronger emotional engagement with the airport.
- Remote and hybrid work: the rise of remote work has led to a blending of business and leisure travel, with 59% of respondents combining more than one reason for travel in the same trip.
- Sustainability: 72% of travellers expect to see a ‘green’ environment at airports, and 43% of respondents have heard of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF).
Luis Felipe de Oliveira, director general at ACI World, said of the report: “This year’s ASQ 2023 Global Traveller Survey report shifts focus from the immediate impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic in order to gain a broader understanding of travel trends affecting current and future traveller behaviours and expectations. The findings show that while travellers report a high perceived impact of the economic situation on their travel habits, they have never been more eager to travel. While the global economy continues to face uncertainty, the air travel industry is moving in the right direction, with passengers firmly at the heart of airports’ strategies.”
