Personal leisure travel has overtaken business trips as the main reason for air travel according to a new study conducted by trade group Airlines for America.
The ‘Status of Air Travel in the USA’ report, which polled more than 3,000 US citizens, says 48% of travelers took trips in 2015 for personal leisure compared to 31% for business.
A further 21% traveled by air for personal non-leisure reasons.
A similar survey was last conducted in 1997 when 47% of all journeys by air were for business trips.
"From the time of air travel being dominated by the affluent and business travelers, today’s travelers are more in line with the overall US population. Younger people and people with household incomes of $50,000 or less are more likely to travel today than they were 18 years ago. Further, more than half of all fliers in 2015 came from households with less than $75,000 in income," A4A said.
"Among the key takeaways, we found that of the American adult population, 81% reported that they had flown by airline at some time in their lifetime. That compares to just 49% in 1971 and roughly 65% at the outset of the airline deregulation period," added the group’s chief economist John Heimlich.
"More than half of road warriors say they care most about logistics when deciding between modes of transportation, and airline schedules and routes are a priority."
A4A said air travelers are generally happy with airline service with a 80% satisfaction rate.
Respondents said onboard comfort, customer service and route network/scheduling were the three most important areas of the passenger experience that required improvements.
