It’s been a turbulent few weeks for the airlines. After Southwest Airlines totally melted down over the holidays, canceling more than 15,000 flights and leaving countless luggage in limbo, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) suffered a tech outage on Wednesday morning, pausing all flights through 9 a.m. EST – and much reshuffling of the schedule.
CivicScience wanted to gauge if the recent airline trouble has shaken America’s faith in flying. According to CivicScience’s latest data, roughly one-quarter of U.S. adults are ‘very reluctant’ to travel by plane following the developments in recent weeks – and 54% are at least ‘somewhat reluctant’ to fly.
But at least for now, travelers still aren’t shying away from flight plans in the next six months. CivicScience is constantly tracking airline intent through its recurring Airline Monitor report, and U.S. adults are currently more likely to fly in the next six months than they were in November. So despite any post-holiday penny-pinching, winter blues, or the chaotic state of airlines right now, there hasn’t been hesitancy to book a trip in the next six months – at least thus far in the month of January.
Curious to know how your consumers are responding to the latest travel industry developments? Let’s chat.
