Protocol Study Evaluates Traveler Confidence and Air Travel Safety, Four Months After Sept. 11, 2001
Following the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks, the American population has found itself on the front line of the battle against terrorism. The issue of airline safety has become one of the most publicized areas of change. Many changes were, and are still being made by airlines, airports, and the federal government to protect the public and make air travel as safe as possible. However, a sense of vulnerability lingers.
During the period January 16th to January 27th, 2002 Protocol Communications, Inc., conducted a national Internet survey among business and pleasure flyers to examine the impact that the 9/11 attack had on their concerns about flying and what can be done to help assuage their fears. The survey was conducted by E-mail invitations among 272 adults, age 18 and over. Half were business travelers and half were pleasure travelers. Four months after the 9/11 attacks, air travelers are very concerned about air travel safety.
Hijack prevention and baggage screening are the main safety concerns of business and pleasure air travelers. However, not all solutions are equally comforting. In terms of prevention, securing cockpit doors is the #1 source of reassurance rather than turning pilots into Air Marshals and having them carry guns. Instead, a Federal Air Marshal program is highly desirable (although not at the same level as secure cockpit doors).
Four of the top ten measures that will make air travelers feel safer are related to baggage screening. However, respondents want screening done by hi-tech machines and are less in favor of personal searches. They may feel that airport personnel cannot be trained well enough to perform a perfect search and machine screening might be seen as less of an invasion of privacy and more expedient. Rounding out the top preferred solutions are those dealing with better/stricter background checking of airport personnel.
One in three business travelers (35%) tell us that 9/11 has affected their business travel extremely or very much. Other alternatives are being used frequently for business meetings. They are E-mail (46%), conference calls (39%) and the Internet (38%).
The complete study is available at
http://www.protocolusa.com
or by contacting Jacqueline Lucas, Director of Corporate Marketing. The study also addresses the following:
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020205/52538_1.html
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Global Airline Industrty In Trouble?
The global airline industry lost USD$15 billion last year, according to Pierre Jeanniot, director-general of the International Air Transport Association.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum, a gathering of corporate and government leaders, he stressed it was essential that the industry return to sustainable profitability levels as soon as possible.
http://news.airwise.com/stories/2002/02/1012915396.html
[This message has been edited by doc (edited 02-05-2002).]