Frustrated travellers dump air travel
WASHINGTON – The US travel industry is calling for new measures to combat an alarming fall-off in demand for air travel.
The US Travel Industry Association said airline delays, security checkpoints, baggage fees and other frustrations associated with air travel are increasingly turning away consumers.
The association released a survey that found these hassles led travellers to avoid some 41 million trips over the past year at a cost of US$26.5 billion to the travel industry.
Roger Dow, president of the TIA, said the group is planning a meeting of travel leaders that will strive to improve the air travel experience and urge the White House and US Congress to take steps to ease travel woes.
“The air-travel crisis has hit a tipping point,” said Dow, who added, “100,000 travelers each day are voting with their wallets by choosing to avoid trips.”
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