Columns on hospitality, Indian airports and travel

An expert from the data and analytics industry looks at the issues faced by frequent flyers

Like many modern executives, I have become an expert at packing my case for regular business trips. I know to roll my clothes rather than flatpack. I know exactly how many shirts and which pieces of tech I need for every flight and each destination.

Every traveller has their own closely observed routine to ensure each trip goes as smoothly as possible. We business travellers or ‘road warriors’ like an element of predictability, so that we can focus on our work and on the next big meeting. That’s why we rely on airlines around the world to fly us safely, on time to our next destination.

Congestion

With global traffic growth predicted to double within the next twenty years and more people set to take to the skies than ever, arriving refreshed and on time will become increasingly challenging. This is where a data and advanced analytics company like Cirium comes into play - the company analyses more than 70 million passenger journeys a year, bringing together powerful data, analytics and intelligent insight to keep the world in motion for business – and leisure travellers – alike.

The scale of flight disruption is truly global, impacting not only travellers, but also costing airlines around the world a sizeable USD 30 billion a year.

Issues Faced

The financial impact, the stress and anxiety experienced by air passengers cannot be underestimated. According to a research conducted by Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), the retention of ‘road warriors’ is a major issue.

The survey, ‘Achieving Better Business Travel Results; Insights from U.S. Road Warriors’, reveals the steep attrition rates among this sector of travellers. Those who spent at least 35 nights away from home and took at least four trips by air in the last 12 months said there was a 24 per cent chance they would walk away from their job within the next two years.

The pressure created by this level of travel means that nearly half of 48 per cent of respondents in the survey said they hoped to travel much less in the next two years. This in turn led to 23 per cent of ‘road warriors’ reporting high scores for anxiety and depression and 17 per cent claiming they were presently or nearly burned out. Spending too many nights away from home can clearly take its toll on the health of frequent flyers.

The survey also revealed that 77 per cent of ‘road warriors’ claimed no cancellations or significant delays were the most important flight factor for their business trip success. These dedicated travellers want solutions to ensure their journeys are hassle-free, to avoid burnout and work more productively.

Such flight disruption is evidently a major concern for ‘road warriors’. According to our statistics from 2018, over 3.9 million flights are delayed up to 30 minutes or cancelled every year.

With global traffic growth predicted to double within the next twenty years and more people set to take to the skies than ever, arriving refreshed and on time will become increasingly challenging

Road Ahead

With a comprehensive view of flight disruption and passenger itineraries, the industry can work together to provide personalised travel information for ‘road warriors’ to better manage their traveling experience.

Airlines can harness meaningful data to help manage and improve their on-time performance issues and reduce flight delays and cancellations.