According to a new survey from Collinson, comfort is prioritized by 74% of travelers, greatly out-ranking other factors such as value for money (60%) and efficiency (49%).
The ‘Love the Journey’ survey, which will be released in its entirety later in 2020, examined traveler well-being among more than 25,000 participants globally.
The world is traveling more than ever, with IATA predicting 8.2 billion passengers a year by 2037. More passengers mean bigger crowds and more stringent security requirements, adding up to longer queues and greater potential for disruption. These factors could be why travelers are increasingly prioritizing comfort over more functional concerns such as cost and efficiency, Collinson suggests.
According to the survey, travelers crave comfort so much that they are increasingly willing to pay for additional benefits to help them secure it. The top two upgrade options are airport lounge access (32%), and extra legroom on the plane (31%).
Christopher Evans, joint CEO at Collinson, said, “For a long time, travelers have focused their attention on the destination, but we want them to get excited about the journey as a whole. Travel can be so much more than just a way of getting from A to B, and the industry needs to help travelers see this.”
“The competition to optimize and monetize the traveler journey is already heating up. The challenge and opportunity for travel benefit providers and airports is to understand where their propositions fit into the millions of unique travel journeys we see each day, and how they can positively impact travelers both in the moment and throughout the broader end-to-end experience.”
According to Evans, the industry has to figure out how to work effectively as part of a complex ecosystem of providers, keeping a focus on the customer and the experience.
“This means working collaboratively to put the love of the journey front and center,” Evans concluded.