Satisfaction among air travellers falls
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has published its latest UK Aviation Consumer Survey, which shows overall satisfaction is high, but has fallen since 2016.
The seventh survey to be carried out over the last three and a half years, shows satisfaction is down nine percentage points since research started in 2016.
The national average satisfaction rate was 81% – consistent with the 82% reported in the previous survey, conducted in autumn 2018. When the survey was first undertaken in 2016, satisfaction was recorded at 90%.
Reasons for dissatisfaction include poor handling of complaints by airlines and airports; the lack of communication and information provided by airlines when flights are delayed; and, the lack of accessibility for passengers with reduced mobility.
People who have flown in the last year from the north east of England were most likely to be satisfied with the overall travel experience, with a 90% total.
Passengers from Northern Ireland were the least content, with only 67% of recent flyers declaring satisfaction with their journey.
Travellers from the South West were also less satisfied than the national average, with a 76% satisfaction approval rating.
Other regions to score well in the survey included Yorkshire and Humber, and the East Midlands, with 85% of recent air passengers from each region expressing satisfaction with their flying experience.
The results also highlight specific elements of the passenger experience that could be improved, such as complaint handling, provision for people with disabilities, and information about booking and terms and conditions.
Only 56% of recent flyers who made a complaint to an airport or airline were satisfied with how it was handled. Of those with a disability or health condition, 56% described accessing and using airports, or flying, difficult.
Only 54% of UK adults said they found it easy to understand and compare the cost of traveling with different airlines and 52% find it easy to find and compare other important information
Meanwhile, 69% of UK adults agreed that they had ‘confidence in the safety of airlines and airports’, with only 9% disagreeing.
The proportion of those surveyed saying they think about the impact of flying on the environment has risen from one fifth (21%) in autumn 2016 to three in ten (31%).
There has been a similar rise in the proportion of UK adults saying they would be willing to pay more to reduce the environmental impact of flying (31%, up from 22% in autumn 2016)
The findings will help to inform the CAA’s ongoing work to improve aviation for those who fly and those who do not – alongside the development of the government’s Aviation 2050 strategy.
CAA policy director Tim Johnson said: "The numbers show a positive story overall, but it is important for the industry to continue to work to improve areas where consumers are less happy, including complaint handling, transparency and provision for those who benefit from more support."
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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