Two surveys were conducted recently through the Sabre Virtually There travel resource (http://www.virtuallythere.com ) to determine traveler and airport holiday/new year trends and issues. Findings indicated that 73 percent of responding travelers will travel by air during the upcoming holidays and 84 percent will travel by air in the first quarter of 2002. Airlines surveyed indicated that 75 percent of domestic and 69 percent of international airlines request carry-on gifts be unwrapped. Results were recently released in a press release by the company.
Other results from the survey:
-- 64 percent of those surveyed have traveled by air since Sept. 11
-- 81 percent plan to travel for the holidays
-- 73 percent are planning to travel by air between now and January 5, 2002
-- 59 percent are going to travel by car during the holidays
-- 51 percent plan to travel during the holidays to visit friends and/or family, while 47 percent plan to travel on business
-- 49 percent of those surveyed were most concerned about safety/security of air travel; however, 86 percent of the respondents said their concern was not high enough not to travel by air
-- 68 percent of respondents arrived at the airport two hours prior to their flight since Sept. 11, but 51 percent found they actually needed one hour or less at the airport prior to the flight
