UK Business travellers do not appear reluctant to fly following the terrorist attacks on 11th September in the United States.
Initial research conducted by Spafax and The Brand Development Centre in London has found that all the passengers interviewed intended to continue flying on business in much the same way as they had prior to the tragic events in the USA. Most admitted they would be likely to feel a little nervous on their first flight post-11th September but would still choose to fly as normal in the future. These findings will offer hope to airlines suffering from the steep decline in air travel caused by the attacks and the cooling of the global economy. The focus group considered air travel to be safe and were confident in the extra security measures being taken by airlines. Frequent flyers had confidence in the industry to maintain high standards of staff training and to rigorously enforce safety procedures. They felt that many companies have placed restrictions on travel since the attacks and that this factor rather than the individual`s personal choice may be having a greater influence on the current reduction in business air travel.

The group also discussed its overall impressions of the inflight experience. Frequent fliers have very high expectations of service, particularly when travelling in premium classes. They are well aware of emerging technologies on board and look forward to the introduction of full Internet and e-mail access as well as live inflight television.

Spafax Chief Executive, Niall McBain observed: “These findings are very encouraging for airlines which rely heavily on the frequent business passenger. Major airlines should be aware their key customers will continue to expect a high standard of service despite cutbacks”.

www.passengerresearch.com

 

www.spafax.com
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