It's not just about the price: what passengers will pay attention to when booking tickets this year
The airline industry is evolving rapidly, introducing new trends and innovations that change our travel experience. Accordingly, passengers prioritize various factors throughout the year. Numerous reports indicate that passengers prioritize comfort and sustainability when booking travel in 2023 and 2024.
"In recent years, popular European vacation destinations have witnessed a surge in extreme weather events, including wildfires, floods, and heatwaves that have broken numerous climate records. Against this backdrop, the Euromonitor Sustainability Index 2023 report shows that almost 80% of travelers are willing to pay at least 10% extra for environmental features of travel, despite the ongoing cost of living crisis," reports SimpleFlying.
Meanwhile, according to the SITA Passenger Insight 2023 report, sustainability has come to the forefront as passengers recognize that technology is critical to optimizing travel and minimizing environmental impact. SITA's research shows a growing interest among passengers in airlines that use technology to achieve their sustainability goals. This opinion is shared by 64% of passengers, which is a significant increase from 52% in 2022.
In addition to the growing support for sustainable technologies, passengers emphasize the importance of education. Nearly half of SITA's respondents expressed a desire for airlines to inform passengers about the environmental impact of travel and the measures the industry is taking to reduce its environmental footprint. For example, SITA's report showed that almost three out of every five passengers want to understand what clean jet fuel is.
It is promising that more than half of passengers believe that the air transport industry is making sufficient progress in achieving its sustainability goals. It is worth noting that the aviation industry has committed to achieving zero carbon emissions by 2050.
"The latest ASAP Tickets study, published in the International Travel & Health Insurance Journal (ITIJ), showed that passengers are willing to pay more for more comfortable flights. In a recent survey on consumer travel habits, 93% of air passengers expressed a willingness to pay for an upgrade during a flight that increases convenience and comfort, despite the overall increase in travel costs.
The study, conducted by ASAP Tickets and Skylux travel agencies, involved more than 1,000 adult respondents. The study showed that the most popular additional service among the participants was checked baggage. Approximately a quarter (26%) of respondents expressed a willingness to pay for this additional service.
Other popular add-on services include flight insurance (20%), which provides coverage in case of unexpected flight interruptions, as well as seat selection (18%), extra baggage (10%), and extra legroom (8.6%). Alex Weinstein, founder of ASAP Tickets, told ITIJ that passengers "still prioritize travel over other expenses, and we can currently see increased demand for affordable luxury" in the travel sector in 2024."
