That notable adage of “men are from Mars and women are from Venus” can now be applied to the battle of the sexes as they take to the air for travel. Just in time to help navigate that romantic Valentine’s Day getaway, a new consumer travel survey from Amadeus, a leading travel technology provider, and research firm Leflein Associates, has uncovered what stresses the sexes when it comes to traveling by air, and the results show that men and women don’t always see eye to eye.

Women more stressed than men?

Though the Mars inhabitants are often considered the more impatient gender, the Amadeus survey found that more women (58 percent) than men (52 percent) gripe about flight delays. The same holds true for getting agitated over lost luggage - 42 percent of women vs. 32 percent of men. Not only are women more stressed while traveling, they also worry more about running to catch a flight connection (63 percent of women vs. 47 percent of men).

Both genders get mad…or just make mistakes

The survey also showed that men and women equally took out their air travel frustrations and argued with a gate or ticket agent (19 percent of men vs. 18 percent of women) in-person or on the phone. Additionally, both sexes responded equally that they had gone to a wrong airport or terminal to catch a flight (13 percent of men vs. 11 percent of women).

Men more “frequent” than women

Does more travel experience equate to less stress? Of the 1,000 people surveyed, nearly twice as many men than women flew more than six times in the past 12 months (41 percent of men vs. 22 percent of women). Men are also more likely to be members of one or more frequent flier programs (82 percent of men vs. 79 percent of women), and were three times as likely to have elite status on these programs (25 percent of men vs. 7 percent of women).

Less stress is on the way for both Mars & Venus

“No matter who you are - male or female - air travel undoubtedly has its share of hassles and time-draining situations,” said Robert Buckman, airline futurist and Director of Airline Strategies for Amadeus North America. “However, hassles such as flight delays, missed connections and being directed to the wrong gate or terminal may all but disappear in the next several years thanks to new technologies.”

Buckman said Amadeus is working with several major airlines including United Airlines, British Airways and Lufthansa to implement new technology that will allow them to better serve their customers’ needs, transport passengers more efficiently and streamline their operations.

“Amadeus is one of the only companies developing systems that will enable the airlines to make the travel experience more streamlined and enjoyable for travelers,” said Buckman. “New technology will help make the flying experience a lot less stressful in the future.”

Survey methodology

The survey was conducted among a national sample of 1,000 adult travelers 18+ (those who have traveled by air at least once in the past 12 months and have internet access), comprising of 500 men and 500 women. The margin of error for the sample overall is +/-3.0 percent. The margin of error for subgroups is larger. The survey was developed for Amadeus North America by Leflein Associates, Inc.
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