J.D. Power and Associates and Yahoo! Inc. Report: Travelers Strongly Prefer Federal Involvement in Airport Security Screening Process

...Among those who have traveled within the last three months, 62 percent of air travelers say they are ``already comfortable'' with air travel. This same group reports the level of travelers reporting they will ``never'' be comfortable rose from 3 percent to 5 percent.

The report shows being ``afraid to fly'' is still the most often-cited reason for curtailing air travel plans, with nearly 50 percent of leisure travelers mentioning it as their number one reason. One-third of business travelers cited either economic conditions or company restrictions on air travel as their top reasons for not flying...

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/011119/192117_1.html

A new research, reported by PRNewswire on yahoo, says that it is actually the most frequent fliers who have "strikingly negative reactions" towards flying...
Here is the full article:

Frequent Flyers Likely to Stay on the Ground, According to New Survey



[This message has been edited by SK (edited 11-19-2001).]

Outlook for Holiday Air Travel Dismal
Fear of Air Travel Not Diminishing
Frequent Flyers Likely to Stay on the Ground, According to New Survey

Nearly half of all Americans who fly, including frequent business travelers, are likely to continue to reduce their air travel in the coming days and months, according to a new survey released today by Gang & Gang, Inc., a research and consulting firm that predicts people's future behavior based on their emotions and motivations.

The Gang & Gang research, conducted over the past month using an online Resonance® survey of frequent travelers, dismantles the brave exterior of the flying public -- 80 percent of whom had claimed in other surveys little or no change in air travel plans. Unlike other research in the wake of September 11, the Resonance® findings reveal a much more somber and paranoid flying public, and these profound negative feelings will continue to hurt the airline, travel and hospitality industries, as well as the economy in general.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/011119/nem038_1.html

[b]Flights Cut By 17% Since September 11[b]

The number of flights to the United States available to business travelers has been cut by about 17 percent since September 11, according to airline timetable publisher OAG Worldwide.

The biggest cuts in services were from Paris Charles de Gaulle and London's Gatwick airports, where airlines cut departures back by 20 and 22 percent respectively.

Amsterdam Schiphol lost 11 percent of its US services and London Heathrow was down 11 percent.

On routes within Europe the reductions were about 4 percent. In Africa and the Middle East they were between 7 percent and 10 percent and in Central and South America between 12 percent and 17 percent.

Carriers are continuing to cut services.


http://news.airwise.com/stories/2001/11/1006262291.html


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U.S. President George W. Bush to Appear in His First-Ever Ad Promoting USA Travel

U.S. President George W. Bush will appear in his first-ever advertisement encouraging Americans to start traveling again and see America as part of a projected $20 million domestic and international advertising campaign organized under the banner of the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA).

The ads are part of a broad Travel Industry Recovery Campaign and are funded by voluntary contributions from every segment of the U.S. travel and tourism Industry. The U.S. travel industry hopes the ads will help Americans feel more confident about traveling. A second version of the ads was created to encourage international travelers to visit the U.S.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/011120/hstu011_1.html

Fewer people are expected to travel by air over this Thanksgiving holiday, as Americans worry about airport and airplane security.

Industry experts expect air travel to be down at least 15 percent from a year ago, due largely to the weak economy and travelers' fears after the September 11 terrorist attacks and the deadly crash last week of an American Airlines jet in New York.

The American Automobile Associations estimated that 34.6 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home during the Thanksgiving holiday, a 6 percent decline from last year.

A record 87 percent are expected to drive, while the number taking airplanes, trains and buses is expected to drop 27 percent due to a decline in air travel, the AAA said.

Greyhound Bus Lines reported a 20 percent surge in advance-purchase tickets for the Thanksgiving period and an increase in trips longer than 1,000 miles.

Amtrak is getting 10 percent more inquiries about tickets than it did one year ago, when the passenger rail service carried 567,000 people.

The Air Transport Association, which represents the major U.S. carriers, said air travel probably would decline 15 percent to 20 percent from last year.

The Tourism Crisis

Michele Angerosi, a well-dressed man in his 30's, was sitting at the bar in Il Bocconcino restaurant in Greenwich Village on Tuesday evening. But he wasn't drinking. He'd come in to tell a friend, the restaurant's owner, Gilberto Petrucci, that he'd just been laid off.

Mr. Angerosi, a waiter at the nearby Ennio & Michael restaurant — described in the Zagat Survey as a "first-rate Village Italian" — thus joins the scores of thousands of New Yorkers caught in the employment downdraft that has followed the Sept. 11 catastrophe.

"For waiters, it's tough," said Mr. Angerosi. "We pay our bills with tips, so we don't make money if people don't come to eat."

"It's sad," he added. "You get to a point where you have to pay the rent and you can't work. I don't know what else to do. I came here from Italy and I've been a waiter ever since. I don't know how to do anything else in this city."

At 5 p.m. there were no customers in Il Bocconcino, which is at the corner of West Houston and Sullivan Streets. "Things are very bad," said Mr. Petrucci. "We were closed for a week after 9/11 and things never got much better. The Village is for tourists and there are no tourists. All business is completely down."

Mr. Petrucci does not think he can hold out much longer. "If it continues this way," he said, "we'll close. I can't survive another month like this."

It would be difficult to overstate the importance of tourism to New York City. It's a $25-billion-a-year industry, and it has to recover for the city to recover.

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/29/opinion/29HERB.html

Survey Finds Travelers Returning To The Skies

An international survey by Sabre Virtually There (SVT) has found that travelers are becoming increasingly confident in taking to the air despite the terrorist crisis.

In the internet survey the company found that 73 percent of respondents plan to travel by air over the holiday period while 84 percent will fly in first quarter 2002.

SVT senior Vice President (Asia Pacific) Michael Baldwin said the survey showed since the events of September 11, people were returning to normal flying habits. "There seems to be a faster than expected return to normalcy," he said.

"It's still early days yet... but perhaps within three to six months we can see return to normal flying levels."

49 percent of respondents were most concerned about safety/security of air travel but 86 percent said their concern was not high enough not to travel by air.

http://news.airwise.com/stories/2001/12/1008191679.html

As the airline industry worldwide still reels from the impact of September's terrorist attacks evidence is emerging that people are gradually regaining their confidence in flying.

Latest US Air Transport Association figures show that while US airline passenger numbers were down 19.9 percent in November, year on year, they showed a rise on the previous month.

In November the major US carriers transported 38.7 million passengers, 0.5 percent up on the 38.2 million in October. However, it is in the low cost sector, both in the US and the Europe, that the most marked improvement has been experienced.

No frills operators on both sides of the Atlantic have seen a boom, with the latest encouraging signs reported by Fort Lauderdale-based Spirit Airlines. With a better than expected Thanksgiving, the airline saw its load factor for November rise by 4 percent over the previous month.

"Given the current environment, a gain of 4 percent month to month is encouraging," said Ned Homfeld, Spirit's chairman and founder. "The great news is we have carried half a million more passengers year-to-date than last year. We believe the flying public is slowly returning to normal patterns and while it's a difficult time we see positive signs."

http://news.airwise.com/stories/2001/12/1008502867.html

"All doc, all the time ..."

Airline industry will get a makeover in 2002

Terrorist attacks rocked an already turbulent industry

For the airlines, the grim reality of industry-wide red ink was at hand long before Sept. 11. What was unfathomable was the depth of those losses in a post-attack environment.

Dire as the estimate of a cumulative industry shortfall that could reach upwards of $10 billion for the year is, it is not totally unprecedented and won't wreck an industry that has long weathered such cyclical shakeouts.

What it will do is forever change how Americans - and, really, the entire world -- take to the skies.

The terrorist attacks that horrified the nation and left it without air transport for nearly four days have ushered in a whole new set of security rules and regulations that affect everyone from the catering crew to the passenger to the pilot - no matter what part of the world they are in.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/yh oo/story.asp?source=blq/yhoo&siteid=yhoo&dist=yhoo&guid=%7B74D83E0E%2D002E %2D4897%2DB6EA%2D9EFC2E308C6B%7D

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New Sense of Urgency in Debating the Future of Airlines

Long before Sept. 11, many executives, analysts and consultants were convinced that the airline industry had fundamental problems. Even in the best years, returns lagged those of other industries. And recently, with profits slim to nonexistent, the calls for better service, cheaper fares, more public accountability and tighter security have grown louder and louder.

Now, after the attacks, which presented the biggest commercial threat to the airlines in aviation history, the question of the industry's future has taken on new urgency.

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/17/business/17FLYY.html

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Please also see:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum...ML/003258.html

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With Seats Empty, Airlines Cut Fares to Bargain Levels

Airlines desperate to fill seats in the economic downturn that deepened after Sept. 11 are cutting some fares to levels not seen in years.
The deals include several destinations, like Hawaii and the Caribbean, that have rarely been put on sale during the winter season. On some routes to Europe and Asia where bargains could be found in previous years, the discounts are deeper than usual.

For example, a round-trip coach ticket from Los Angeles to Tokyo is on sale for as little as $398 on American Airlines. Coach seats to London from New York are being offered as low as $198 round trip by several airlines, while business-class tickets to several cities in Europe from the Midwest and East Coast that have full published fares of more than $6,000 are now going for $1,200.

Still, some travelers have been disappointed to find few bargains on the routes that they want to fly. Especially in the United States, tickets to many cities continue to be offered at high prices that were set during the peak of the travel boom, which ended last year. Many of the best fares are already sold out during peak travel periods like the coming Christmas and New Year's holidays. And most such fares carry many restrictions.

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/18/business/18FARE.html



[This message has been edited by doc (edited 12-18-2001).]

14% Decrease in Air Service Since September 11, According to Aviation Daily/Eclat Analysis

Mid-Sized Airports Hit Hardest; JFK Falls Most Among Big Airports

An analysis of air service by Aviation Daily and Eclat Consulting reveals a 14% decrease in nationwide flights since September 11, with mid-sized airports being hit the hardest. While almost every airport has been hit hard, the analysis shows New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport has been affected the worst among the large airports, with a 32% drop in air service.

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/011219/192435_1.html

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Despite Improvements, Post-Sept. 11 Flying Is Still a Chore

Irony is supposedly passé after Sept. 11, so I had no reason to doubt the earnestness of the admonitions being displayed on a video screen at the security gate at Newark International Airport when I checked in for a flight to New Orleans early last week.

"No Knives," flashed the screen. "No Guns," the next message said. "No bombs," said the next one, which depicted the familiar red-outlined circle and diagonal slash across a bowling-ball-shaped bomb with a sparking fuse sticking out of it. The cartoon bomb looked like something the Road Runner might hand to Wile E. Coyote.

"Over here," a security guard ordered after the metal detector went off when I passed through. In airport language these days, that means "Stick 'em up."

Under the steely gaze of a rifle-toting National Guardsman wearing camouflage attire that stood out startlingly against the airport beige, I obediently reached for the skies. Even though I had placed on the conveyor belt every imaginable possession having metal components, including my sports jacket and watch, the penitentiary-quality frisking soon discovered contraband in my pocket.

"Aluminum foil on those Tic Tacs!" the guard announced triumphantly. "You're not getting through here with anything metal."

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/19/business/19TRAV.html

[This message has been edited by doc (edited 12-19-2001).]

More than one million UK travelers will defy fears of terrorism by jetting off to the sunshine this Christmas.

Airport operator BAA said it is expecting 1.1 million people to fly out of Britain this weekend.

The Canary Islands, Spain and France are the favorite short-haul destinations, a company spokesman said, with Miami, New York and Los Angeles the most popular long-haul routes.

BAA chief executive Mike Hodgkinson said: "With over a million people expected to travel out of our airports over the festive weekend this year, clearly people are giving air travel a vote of confidence."

http://news.airwise.com/stories/2001/12/1008939242.html

Summary of post-9/11 recovery progress.

Dec. 2001 vs. 2000
Airline Pax Traffic
========================================
Air Canada -2.5%
AirTran +5.2%
Alaska -5.1%
American -17.4%
America West -15.0%
Continental -10.6%
Delta -9.8%
Northwest -11.3%
Southwest +0.6%
United -18.1%
US Airways -22.0%

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AND improving!

Yet transatlantic traffic is still down about 25%, sadly! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

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Notables and no-names alike searched at airports

A 'near-proctological' experience

http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/01/08/rec....ap/index.html

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The pain of air travel


Air travel these days is rather like it must have been taking a covered wagon. It not only takes a long time. It's an unpleasant experience.

Those who are returning to America's airports should be lauded for infinite tolerance and good will as they are poked, prodded and often made to partially disrobe by security guards, after standing in longer and longer lines. But the events of Sept. 11 also have significantly changed the industry's pledge to make things as easy as possible for passengers. No longer is the customer always right at the ticket gate or on the plane.

A passenger recently complained about his treatment and merely used the word "terrorist." He was immediately removed and now faces some vague federal charge after the pilot got into the act and refused to take off with him on the plane. The lesson to all air travelers - be very careful what you say. In fact, it is best to say nothing about anything in an atmosphere that takes exception to the most innocent of remarks.

At a Florida airport, a harried businessman who sounded Australian asked the ticket agent if there were some way to get his bag off the flight since his plans had been changed by the home office and he was now headed elsewhere. He was told curtly by the agent that the bag would not be off-loaded until it reached the designation for which it was checked. After pleading to no avail, and finally being told to move on, the frustrated passenger said that he guessed the only way to get the suitcase off the plane was to claim it had something bad in it. He was immediately arrested.

Even a Secret Service agent on the presidential detail isn't immune, it seems, from severe scrutiny. An American with Middle Eastern roots, he seems to have been treated rudely in a case that can be expected to have major ramifications.

Much of the airport nervousness could be expected under the circumstances, and in most instances, the airlines are trying to make travel less burdensome. They realize that many of them won't be in business if things don't get back to normal soon. But the examples of bad judgment are frequent enough to reveal a need for at least special new training of all personnel as well as the new government security forces approved by Congress...

http://www.nandotimes.com/opinions/s...-2066272c.html


[This message has been edited by doc (edited 01-10-2002).]

World Air Travel To Fall Ten Per Cent - Touirism Chief

World air travel will fall by 10% in 2002, according to World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) vice-president Graham Wason.

He described the crisis facing the aviation industry today as more serious than that which followed the Gulf War.

Wason said that the fall in demand could lead to about 8.8 million jobs losses worldwide in the tourism industry.

The US will lose 1.1 million jobs because of the drop in air travel and the EU will see a loss of 1.2 million jobs, according to WTTC forecasts.

Worldwide air travel has already seen a drop of 20-25% in business since the US terror attacks, and the US a 35% drop.

http://news.airwise.com/stories/2002/01/1010779009.html

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Airlines Face Over $4 Billion in Losses

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/busin...s-outlook.html



[This message has been edited by doc (edited 01-13-2002).]

Passengers Down In December But "Gap Closing" Says ATA

The Air Transport Association of America (ATA) reported this week that passenger enplanements were down 14.2 percent, on average, in December.

The number of enplanements declined 14.7 percent, domestically, and 9.9 percent, internationally. But ATA Chief Economist David Swierenga said: "Carriers are continuing to close the gap on last year's results, and as traffic has improved, they have been slowly adding service."

Domestic revenue passenger miles (RPMs) declined 13.2 percent, while international RPMs decreased 14.5 percent. (Revenue passenger mile is the industry term used to quantify the volume of business; one RPM equals one fare-paying passenger transported one mile.)

The system-wide load factor was 68.6 percent in December 2001, compared to 69.2 percent in December 2000. The domestic load factor was 67.2 percent and the international load factor was 72.7 percent in December 2001, compared to 68.7 percent and 70.6 percent respectively, a year ago. (Load factor is the percentage of seating that is utilized.)

In November the ATA reported that passenger enplanements were down 19.8 percent, on average. The number of enplanements declined 19.5 percent, domestically, and 23.4 percent internationally.

Domestic revenue passenger miles (RPMs) declined 17.7 percent, while international RPMs decreased 27.4 percent

David Swierenga observed: "Passengers traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday were able to take advantage of the lower airfares being offered, and as a result, the industry's post September 11 passenger traffic growth continued to improve."

http://news.airwise.com/stories/2002/01/1011437472.html