Travelers Ready for Domestic and International Trips If Safety Measures Are In Place
Travelport survey finds cleanliness, flexible bookings, social distancing, masks, filtration among 10 safety essentials for travel
Travelers say they are ready to consider booking domestic and international trips, but only provided airlines, airports, hotels and car rental companies collectively implement 10 different safety measures throughout their journey.
The findings are part of new research from Travelport, the global travel technology company. The based on a survey of 5,000 travelers across the US, UK, India, Australia and New Zealand, as well as in-depth interviews with 29 leading travel suppliers.
The 10 measures are:
enhanced cleaning and/or disinfection
access to sanitizing wipes, masks and gloves
social distancing
temperature checks
mandatory face masks
fully flexible or refundable tickets
improved air filtration
contactless services
Plexiglas at check-in
managed boarding by row.
The study found that at all segments of the travel journey, travelers say it’s critical to have social distancing rules, mandatory use of face masks, and ready access to sanitizing gel or wipes, face masks and gloves.
In addition, travelers still want to see industry-specific measures for airlines, airports, hotels and car rental companies to fully restore consumer confidence.
Air Travel
More than half of travelers responding to the survey said that to consider booking a flight, they need to know in advance that specific measures have been implemented by both the airport and airline. At the airport, these include temperature checks on arrival (66 percent), Plexiglas at check-in desks (58 percent), and managed boarding by row (56 percent).
Measures travelers demand from air carriers include enhanced cleaning (71 percent) and disinfection (70 percent), further temperature checks before boarding (66 percent), socially distanced seating (66 percent), and fully flexible or refundable tickets (64 percent).
Hotels
The study showed that for travelers to book a hotel room, the majority want six specific safety measures in place including enhanced cleaning (73 percent) and guest services accessible via their mobile phone (51 percent).
Car
To book a car rental, according to the study, the majority of travelers want five key safety measures in place both at rental destinations and in vehicles including contactless car collection and drop-off (55 percent).
“Over the last few months, the travel industry has rolled out many initiatives to support a safe, healthy and responsible return for travel,” said Greg Webb, Travelport CEO. “This study highlights the criticality these measures are now playing in restoring traveler confidence. However, for the majority of travelers to return to the skies, the industry now needs to work together to not only ensure a wide array of safety measures are in place throughout the travel journey, but to collectively communicate these changes to travelers using a range of channels and merchandising technologies.”
