Air travel experiences meet expectations for most Canadian travelers
July 21, 2022
We completed a national survey of 1,500 Canadian adults from July 11 to 17, 2022.
ONE IN TEN FLEW IN CANADA LAST MONTH
The number of people who have taken an airplane trip in Canada in the last four weeks is 10%. Just 4% took 2 or more flights during that period. More trips were taken by people under 45 and with above-average incomes.
THE EXPERIENCE MOSTLY DIDN’T DISAPPOINT FLYERS
While stories of air travel challenges are common right now, when we asked those who had traveled what they made of their experience, the large majority said that it was good or acceptable, in terms of the service experience at customs, check-in, security and on-time performance of the airlines.
HOW DOES CANADA COMPARE?
Public opinion is somewhat divided when it comes to how Canada compares to the air travel challenges in other similar countries.
A bare majority say things are the same in other places, 7% say things are going better here, but 42% believe air travel is more challenging in Canada right now. This includes the views of people who haven’t traveled by plane in the last 4 weeks.
Among those who have flown in Canada, 14% think things are better here, 43% no different, and 43% worse.
UPSHOT
According to Bruce Anderson: “Air travel frustrations are prominent in media coverage today and no doubt these experiences are frustrating for those who experience them. However, these data are an important reminder that the large majority of people haven’t had that first-hand experience, either because they haven’t flown, or because they felt that the performance of the system was good enough, or even better than that.”
According to David Coletto: “Most air travelers report their experience traveling the past few months has been good or acceptable. About 1 in 5 have experienced some friction during the process. One thing this study can’t say is whether dissatisfaction is higher and by how much than usual as we have no previous data to compare with it. But it does confirm the typical experience of flying in Canada is not problematic for most.”
METHODOLOGY
The survey was conducted with 1,500 Canadian adults from July 11 to 17, 2022. A random sample of panelists were invited to complete the survey from a set of partner panels based on the Lucid exchange platform. These partners are typically double opt-in survey panels, blended to manage out potential skews in the data from a single source.
The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of the same size is +/- 2.6% 19 times out of 20.
The data were weighted according to census data to ensure that the sample matched Canada’s population according to age, gender, educational attainment, and region. Totals may not add up to 100 due to rounding.
This survey was paid for by Abacus Data Inc.
Abacus Data follows the CRIC Public Opinion Research Standards and Disclosure Requirements that can be found here: https://canadianresearchinsightscouncil.ca/standards/
ABOUT ABACUS DATA
We are the only research and strategy firm that helps organizations respond to the disruptive risks and opportunities in a world where demographics and technology are changing more quickly than ever.
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