If you’re worried about US flight delays and cancellations interrupting your trips and vacations, then you’re not alone.
A recent survey was conducted by Hopper Technology Solutions (HTS) with over 1,000 U.S. travelers planning to fly in the next 12 months. The survey has found that nearly 89% of them are concerned about either delays or cancellations affecting their trips in some capacity, with nearly one in four travelers saying they are “extremely concerned.”
More than half of the travelers surveyed who experienced a 2+ hour delay or cancellation said that they were never notified of it, and instead had to find out through a gate agent or airport announcement. Only 15% of these impacted travelers were able to resolve the situation within 30 minutes, 43% still didn’t have a resolution after two hours, and 7% of them never reached a resolution at all, forced to cancel their travel plans entirely. One in five said that their flight cancellation or delay caused them to miss an important event or meeting
The “extremely concerned” people in this survey have either put precautionary measures in place in case of flight delays or cancellations, or have changed their approach to planning and booking their trips to compensate for delays.
These travel planning decisions show that many airline passengers have begun to see delays not as rare inconveniences but as standard parts of the flying experience. These worries aren’t for nothing. They have actual data to back them up. “We’ve been seeing over the years not just an increase in overall general disruptions, like a delay here and a delay there, but a significant increase in what I call a significant disruption day,” said Hayley Berg, Lead Economist at HTS. “Those days are increasing every year. We’re up to close to 20 a year across the entire United States.”
Recently, many wishing to go on vacations have instead turned to destinations closer to home. “Calmcations” and “staycations” are on the rise. The people who still wish to travel by plane have become willing to pay for more premium airlines rather than cheaper airlines that seem to go down or get delayed constantly. As a whole, travel anxiety has become something that people are incredibly eager to pay extra for to avoid.
The travelers of this survey cited that the biggest barriers they faced while resolving flight issues included long wait times (48%), limited rebooking options (42%), and not knowing/being offered alternative options for their flight delay or cancellation (34%).
“Disruption has really turned into a slog for travelers,” Berg said in a Fortune interview. “It’s something they’re stressed about before the trip. It’s something that really negatively impacts the experience on the trip. And then if they do have a disruption, it’s costing them more money at a time when airfare is so expensive.” The cost to fly has increased significantly over the years, and with delays and cancellations climbing higher in number, the cost continues to soar. Among the travelers in the survey who experienced a significant travel disruption, 42% faced extreme out-of-pocket expenses like hotel rooms, meals, ground transportation, etc., that were mostly not reimbursed by the airline they were flying with. 60% spent $100 or more, and 26% spent over $200.
Berg’s advice for travelers this summer echoes what they are already doing on their own: building flexibility into your travel plans to make up for any potential flight delays that might occur. “If you have the option to book a refundable fare, consider doing that,” she said. “If you don’t, and something like Cancel for Any Reason is offered where you can pay a little extra to make it refundable, do it. Just give yourself the flexibility to change your plan.”
