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Courtesy HNTB
Respondents to the HNTB survey about flying share their opinions about the airport screening process. Respondents were allowed to choose more than one answer.
A new survey confirms what most travelers already know: modern air travel can be stressful, frustrating and exhausting.
"Air travel has lost its spark,” said Tom Rossbach, director of aviation architecture for HNTB, the architecture, engineering and construction company that commissioned the survey. “Going to the airport just isn’t as glamorous as it used to be. Now it’s just a chore.”
Of the survey’s 1,000 U.S. respondents, 44 percent called air travel stressful, 41 percent said it was frustrating and 32 percent declared it downright exhausting. Very few people (16 percent) found air travel easy, luxurious (5 percent) or relaxing (7 percent).
Math whizzes will note that these totals add up to more than 100 percent but survey respondents were allowed to choose more than one answer to the question: “Air travel is...”
Not surprisingly, the survey found that air travelers are displeased with the modern-day airport security-screening process. “The biggest frustration is with waiting in those long lines,” said Rossbach.
Only 22 percent said airport security-screening procedures were effective and only 11 percent said it was efficient. A mere 4 percent found it pleasant while 42 percent found the security checkpoint “a hassle.”
But some travelers are optimistic that new technology and better airport amenities can help patch things up.
According to the survey, almost half of Americans think that over that last 10 years there’s been improvement in terminal amenities such as shops, food options and entertainment. And more than half count the now ubiquitous self-check-in kiosks among the improvements.
Going forward, more than a quarter of the survey respondents would like to see paper baggage tags replaced by electronic GPS tags. And 53 percent said they’d feel safer in an airplane that had "NextGen" GPS technology installed, instead of the current radar-based system.
More than 10 percent of respondents would also like to see improvements at airport drop-off and pick-up curbs and at the departure gate lounges as well as a few more designated areas for quiet or conversation.
“We’re going to take this information and use to it design better airports with facilities that are easier to manage and much more enjoyable to be in,” said Rossbach.
100 percent of travelers would most likely say yes to that.
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Find more by Harriet Baskas on Stuck at The Airport.com and follow her on Twitter.
Leave a Comment:
When possible, take a train. No dealing with TSA screening. Plenty of room to walk around. Roomy seats. On-board food is available. No questions about bringing on take-out food. Very relaxing. The only downsides: it takes longer and trains do not go everywhere.
Flying these days is an abusive, invasive, humiliating ordeal and should be considered only as a last resort.
Trains are infinity more comfortable. And the last time I looked you couldn't fly one into a building.
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I would love to be able to take a train. But I live in Texas. Getting anywhere not only takes 24+ hours it's very, very expensive. And I at least live in Austin where there is train service. For those of us who don't live on one of the coasts, trains are just not an option. Sigh....
There is no glamour in American flying. It is a tedious exposure to thugs who grope and view attrractive women and harass anyone else. Airport security translates into "I work here and I can have you thrown off of the next flight". Rude waitresses act like they are doing you a favor if they are not abrupt with you. Ever feel poor? Ever want to? Buy an airline ticket. Train seating tends to be spacious, even in the US, and there are no thugs daring you to challenge their abusive authority. Some trains have wifi and you do not have to turn off electronic devices because of inexpensive airline equipment. It takes longer but geeze...I heard somewhere that the well to do travel in leisure
People need to get over the changes in the past 12 years, the world has changed and so has air travel.
Yea, I got over it, I don't fly anymore!
Remember when attendants asked, "Where are you headed?" My reply was, "My destination, or the crash site." and we laughed. Now if I said that, I'd have an 80 thousand dollar sony cam shoved up my butt, for possibly hiding a bomb, because I'm a terrorist.
I tell most Anal-retentive people, "Shove a lump of coal up your @ss, and in about an hour you should be able to pull a shiny diamond out of there." This applies to most TSA members as well as their buds at Homeland Insecurity. Another major reason I stay away from flying, most of those planes I remember flying in as a child are probably still in service, somewhere.
dsb: I, too, live in Texas. I catch the Texas Eagle at McGregor or Temple. I connect to East Coast destinations by going north to Chicago. To get to the West Coast, I go south through San Antonio to Los Angeles. (Unfortunately, the Sunset Limited has never re-established service east of New Orleans. It used to go to Orlando.)
The American public wanted Greyhound... well you got it.
Touching someone's genitals, embarrasing cancer patients, violating children and the screening process has NOTHING to do with "Greyhound" pricing or even airlines themselves for that matter. We pay taxes and fees for security.
What is in the airlines control is the crappy attitudes, the crazy pricing, the tiny seats that are so uncomfortable even healthy people suffer. Jamming in another row of seats and making the rows narrower is wrong. Charging for seating that is more comfortable is insulting. THAT is what we get for our money.... except.... dignity should not have a price. You get a smile and OK food at BK and McD's..... and seats that fit.....If they can't provide service and dignity at the prices they charge... then charge more. Smiles and personality cost nothing. One row of seats is only..... $2400 per flight at six seats and $400/ticket. Or only 3% more seating.
Texas Mike; why insult Greyhound; flying today is equal to going to the dentist, some have to fly to make a living; Airlines are cattle cars, but at least you get a full screen x-ray and a body exam for free.
No, we didn't get Greyhound. I wish the air travel experience was as good as Greyhound.
That graphic showing percentages at the top makes absolutely no sense what so ever. The percentages certainly don't add to 100% on any given pie. Furthermore, the different pies seem to be vaguely related but not put together into one pie. Honestly, data visualization is something they teach in 5th grade math ... or should at least.
Read the article. I mean REALLY read it. They said the numbers don't add up to 100% because people could pick more than one thing.
I read the article too and the graphs visually make no sense...I understand there are more than 100 percentage points. But in the first pie chart, the 51% chunk looks more like a third. It should take up half.
If you're going to provide a chart as an accompanying example, it should be remotely close to what the numbers are showing. Otherwise, a pie chart is not the best way to display this data.
Pie charts were used badly. Sometimes just words will do the communication task the best.
When possible, drive your car. I can take a gallon jug of milk on board if I want to. I can watch my computer to my heart's content. I don't have to listen to children crying or screaming--mine are all grown up! I don't have to put up with rank smells from other passengers. i can stop whenever I want to. I can stretch out in my seat. You get the point.
shenlee - this is news? I traveled for business for thirty years - and it never was fun
Seats got smaller - people got ruder and most of all connections were infrequent especially after Sir Ronnie's deregulation
Now your little world of driving to the next soccer match with your jug of milk - does not exactly cut it in the business world - lovely fantasy but red - eyes from New York to LA to be on time for a 9:00 meeting doesn't mean an outing Nice try though!
Please refrain from driving while watching your laptop.
I hope you don't watch your computer while driving. Cars crash into each other daily. Not so often with planes. An airline can take you across the country in a day. Can your car do that?
My car can, if I don't have any law between point A and point B :)
You can text and drink too
Flying is a PITA. After mega years in the military I've no patience with lines-especially with the 'dog and pony show' TSA crap. A few years ago I ended up having to fly. I thought about it and figured a way to minimize the rubbish and use it to my advantage.
I shipped my gear to my destination (then back) and had a small backpack with me. At one airport I went through security about midnight (no line) and slept on a bench inside the zone with a jacket as a cover. For my return flight I slept just outside the security zone and awoke when they had just opened. I was the first one through. Again, no line. Security's there around the clock and they were well aware of my presence. My last flight was prior to all the crap.
Amen brother! Thank's for your service and I'm glad you made it home...Did my time..feel the same about lines. For the stupid amercian people...its all about the ILLUSION of safety..no real safety is possible. just another way to keep the sheeple in line for big brother.
Thank you for your service and attempts to keep America a free and constitutional country. Too bad our "gvt" put the kabosh on it. But know that those of us raising kids appreciate the work of our fine men and women in uniform.
"And 53 percent said they’d feel safer in an airplane that had "NextGen" GPS technology installed, instead of the current radar-based system"
Good god people are stupid. Can we please get rid of the safety nets for idiots out there so we can go back to survival of the fittest? Allowing stupid people to survive and breed only hurts the human race in the long term. Idiocracy while overblown makes a pretty good point.
Osama is laughing at us from the grave. Mission accomplished!
When you live on a tiny island, the airport is a necessary evil. You love it and hate it at the same time... If I lived on the mainland-- first choice would be ROAD TRIP!!
I used to fly all the time for my job. It went from being a fairly pleasant experience to a major irritating necessity. Since I retired, I will spend two or three days driving to a destination rather than fly. I've seen some very interesting things, met some lovely people and had some great adventures I would have missed by being cramped into a seat made for kindergarteners, dealing with officious TSAs, suffering through horrible food and being treated like airline cargo. The only time I fly now is when I go to Europe or South America on vacation, and when I do, I always use an international carrier rather than a US based airline. At least, once I am on the plane, I am treated like a real person.
I avoid commercial flights like the plague. It is a shame because my wife and I loved our trips to Hawaii. I did however buy a plane for flights in the US. No hassles but considerably more expensive-and don't care. The govt as usual got into the arena and screwed it up. Wonder how TSA will react when terrorists figure out that they can smuggle surface to air missiles in thru our porous borders and just shoot down aircraft. I love my country but fear my govt. Thank you Bush and Obama.
aye aye sarge
I travel out of DCA when flying outbound as much as possible - smaller airport and quicker TSA screening. My issue with air travel - almost every plan I fly is totally full - those seats are cramped as can be and with a full flight, you have little overbin storage. I really try to avoid flying, but do it when it is necessary!
You needed a survey to determine that people HATE the airline industry? Come on.
I avoid air travel at all costs .
It's gotten to the point where I prefer a visit to the dentist's office than to take a commercial flight.
How much more proof does our government need to realize that we the people are fed up with the TSA. The whole airline industry has suffered since Bush went insane with stupid changes after the 911 incident. In addition Bush's actions have made we the people tolerate, The Patriot Act, Homeland Security, Two unnecessary and very expensive wars, a major financial crisis, etc. Obama has not offered change but continued the assault on the American public while favoring the financial industry which caused our current failing economy.
All the TSA stuff is about 10% of the reason that I don't want to fly. Since air travel became as classy as the bus (only much more cramped and crowded) I lost interest - and this happened long before TSA was in existence.
I think I can live the rest of my life without a flight to another continent or Hawaii. If I get a yearning, I will try to find a cargo ship that takes a few passengers.
I will NEVER fly again. I am retiring this year and my wife & want to travel but it will never be in a plane.
I spent over eleven years in the airline industry in a managerial capacity. I traveled extensively as an airline Manager, no fun. That was before 9/11. I have traveled by air since and it's not a pleasurable experience. Personally, I would prefer to never fly again. There was a time when air travel was something of an adventure and a pleasurable experience, those days are gone and will probably never come back. From the boarding process to the food and beverage service it all sucks. There was a time when people flew in order to arrive at their destination refreshed, relaxed and ready to enjoy the day. Those days are gone. By the time you get to where ever your going you're exhausted from the hassel and BS. Eliminate TSA and as far as travel goes, you're probably just as safe as driving your local interstate. We have created a monter in the name of Boooga Boooga, don't close your eyes or they'll get you. We've lost the fox and the bad guys have won. We're the ones jumping through our little fur collar. So what's to prevent some head case from going to some little obscure airport and boarding a plane with connecting flights to Honolulu? Do you for one minute think that the level of scrutinity is the same in Sugar Land Texas as it would be in Los Angeles???? Oh, and once you're cleared, your cleared. How nuts is this whole process?
I really like Amtrak and take when I can. Albuquerque to LA takes about the amount of time as taking a car but on the train you can have a nice meal, some wine, sleep and watch some beautiful views. Only wish this country would commit more resources to train travel. It would be great to have a rail system to Denver.
As for flying, I don't care for it as much as before. It is very crowded on the plane and the whole experience driving to the airport, TSA etc. is plan crazy. Does the TSA really have to search a senior in a wheel chair or a child?
Yes - if I were a terrorist and knew that kids and grannies might not be searched, then I would use them for sure. It amazes me that people think that terrorists wouldn't use that tactic.
I can live with the TSA - it's a hassle, but it is nothing compared to the actual flying experience - small seats, very crowded, bad air quality, baggage fees for all checked luggage. Train travel really can be lovely, but I don't use it much in the US, because I can usually drive faster. If we had decent high speed rail, then it would be more viable.
Need to check before I post - (take it when) (the same amount) (plain) I hope that covers the errors
plane was correct in the first post - it is airplane, not airplain.
No surprise. Greedy, poorly run airlines, treat customers like a nuisance, descriminate, lose luggage, charge for every little thing. Of course, we need the airlines - so they have no incentive to do anything but charge more for less service.
This article deserves a "NO $H*T SHERLOCK" award
Please regulate the airline industry before they self destruct, they have become their own worse enemy.
Was air travel ever really "fun"? I've been traveling by plane since I was a kid in the 1970s and I never recall in all that time the flight being the high light of the trip. Not that it was ever bad, it was always simply a means to an end, a way to get from A to B. Are people going to have bad experiences? Yes, just like they did pre 9/11. As for train and car travel, that's all well and good if you have the extra time to do it. And enjoy that roadtrip to Europe, it's a bit damp.
A couple of years ago my family took a trip the Caribbean and my mother, a little red-headed English woman who had recently busted her arm, was wearing a cast. She was taken aside for additional screening. Why? Her arm cast. You can mold all sorts of wonderful things into an arm cast, like explosive plastique. Now, is it ridiculous to think of an old lady as a suicide bomber? Yeah, but do YOU want to take that chance? And it in no way affected our enjoyment of the trip. Heck, as soon she left the screening area we all had a good laugh (including my mother) and started making jokes about "our mother the terrorist".
So if you are really fervent about boycotting air travel for whatever reason, then go ahead and stay home and watch the Travel Channel. Maybe the drop in demand will lower the prices for the rest of us.
I agree. I really hope they checked her rectum well. You never know when a one armed lady is going to throw off security by faking an arm injury, while all the time having a butt bomb in her bloomers. Freedom ISN'T free. Alan Jackson told me that. It takes folks like you and me to keep an eye out for terrorists, even within our own families. I usually tip the TSA when they check my butthole extra thoroughly...sometimes I don't wipe good enough and they clean it out for me.
This is a case where words have real meaning. It used to be "travel" and we all understood that to be pleasant, comfortable, and exciting. Airlines like Continental changed that word - they describe their product as 'safe, reliable transportation.' When "travel" became "transportation" then the definition of the product, and the expectations of the airlines, fundamentally changed. Taking a Greyhound bus is "transportation." Taking the METRO in DC or the subway in Manhattan is "transportation." Going on a cruise ship is "travel."
TSA aside, the biggest thing making "transportation" incomfortable is that the airlines sell you a seat that is narrower than almost half of their passenegers - even those who are not overweight. Check the specs - coach seats run around 17.5" wide. Most men are around 19.5" or so shoulder to shoulder. The seat is 2" narrower than a typical male. You can Google and you'll find that the FAA ordered the airlines to replace their 17.5" crew seats with 19" crew seats because they have a larger number of males in the crews now. Why can't the FAA advocate for the public to get seats that they fit? They should make one of those boxes like they have to see if your luggage will fit in the overhead, except make it a 17.5" wide seat box and then try sitting in that ... for 6 hours or more.
15 hours on an international flight to the Mid-East on behalf of the country we live in.
John in NJ has it exactly right and it can be verified. When the Boing 737 came out it was configured with two seats on one side and three seats on the other side. Now it's three on each side. I don't think the planes are wider than they used to be. We are squeezed. Other countries have more reasonable seating on their planes and better and friendlier service.
The seats on certain planes have not gotten narrower. If you flew coach in a 707, you were in the same width seat as in a 737 coach seat. 6 across in a Boeing narrow body was the same in a 707, 727, 737, and 757. The seat design may have changed but the seat width did not.