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Dave

Half of travellers intend to travel again within months: survey

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Airports Council International has released a survey showing nearly half of respondents intend to travel again within the next three months.

The findings of the Airports Council International (ACI) World ASQ Global Traveller Survey can be attributed to a strong level of confidence in the environment safety provided by airports and airlines.

The survey found that 48% of travellers considered themselves likely to travel within the next three months but, despite this eagerness to travel, the recovery is dependent on a multitude of factors.

Passengers expect that new measures are put in place to address health risks, including mandatory masks for passengers and staff, Covid-19 testing prior to the trip, hand sanitising stations and the development of a more contactless airport experience.

The survey found an overall slight decrease in travel frequency is expected. This will have an impact on the proportion of traffic type with domestic traffic helping recovery in the short term.

Completion of the report was supported by KONE Corporation, Munich Airport International, Plaza Premium Group, and POTLOC.

ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said,

One of the keys to recovery will be the aviation industry’s understanding of the changing needs of passengers and ACI’s new survey provides insight into how Covid-19 is affecting passenger expectations and future travel plans.

It is reassuring that travellers are eager to travel again and our survey will help airports make the right decisions in providing the best and safest customer experience. Airports, airlines and their partners need to continue to increase the level of confidence in the entire passenger journey and provide and communicate the measures they are introducing to keep passenger healthy and safe.

ACI’s Airport Health Accreditation programme provides airports with not only a tool to assess their health measures against globally-recognized standards but also a way to communicate to passengers about these measures.

Dr. Sascha Brozek, Senior Vice President, Major Projects, KONE Corporation said,

As air travel and the industry navigates changes in order to gradually return, there’s no doubt the way passengers move through airports has been changed permanently. In this respect, safe and efficient people flow management is vital. At KONE, we believe that technology and smart solutions will help us reconfigure environments like airport terminals, keeping safety and health as a top priority.

Dr. Ralf Gaffal, Managing Director at Munich Airport International said,

Covid-19 has a never-seen impact on our aviation industry – not only did it cause traffic movements to hit rock bottom, it also changed the overall behaviour and expectations of our passengers and requires the implementation of new processes and systems. As a global world-class airport operator, it is essential for us to understand all changes and requirements to quickly adapt processes, facilities and information flow. The results of this ASQ  Global Traveller Survey will provide guidance to define our strategy and actions in order to maintain the highest level of customer satisfaction.

Bora Isbulan, Chief Commercial Officer of Plaza Premium Group said,

It is a pleasure for us to support ACI World, global trade representative of world airports on their global passenger survey. It is important for the airport community to work together for the revival of travel, especially during these unprecedented times. As a leader in airport hospitality, it is fundamental for us to understand the behaviour of global passengers and how it will continue to evolve through the importance of wellbeing, digital advancements and loyalty programmes in the new age of travel.

Rodolphe Barrere Co-Founder & CEO at POTLOC said,

Covid-19 has forced the travel industry to completely rethink the status quo and the way it operates. Airports that have answers from consumers will have more chances of overcoming a post-COVID world. With this study, at Potloc we wanted to help them understand consumer perceptions facing this new reality. We were able to reach far and wide, by extracting travellers’ insights via social networks, to get a clearer picture of where we stand now, and what the future holds for airports in their eyes.

ACI claim the ASQ Global Traveller Survey has been created to help airports plan for future demand – in the short, medium and long term – and to adapt customer experience accordingly, to help them implement the right measures expected by travellers, improve the most stressful touchpoints throughout the journey, and understand passengers’ needs and expectations.

“We are grateful to our sponsors in supporting this important project which will help inform airports and promote public confidence in the recovery of air travel,” Luis Felipe de Oliveira.

Dave

ACI and IATA outline roadmap for aviation industry restart

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Airports Council International (ACI) World and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have called on governments to ensure any new measures introduced for airports and airlines in the wake of Covid-19 are supported by scientific evidence and are consistent across the world.

IATA General Secretary Alexandre de Juniac: “restoring air connectivity is vital to restarting the global economy”

ACI and IATA have jointly issued a paper laying out a pathway for restarting the aviation industry – Safely Restarting Aviation – ACI and IATA Joint Approach. Airlines and airports have co-operated to build a roadmap for resuming operations which reassures the travelling public that health and safety remain the overall priorities.

The joint approach proposes a layered approach of measures across the entire passenger journey to minimise the risk of transmission of Covid-19 at airports and onboard aircraft, and to prevent aviation becoming a meaningful source of international re-infection.

ACI and IATA are both central members the Covid-19 Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART) being led by the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). CART enables the collaboration – among governments and between governments and industry -that is vital to ensure the harmonisation and consistency of measures that are essential to restoring air connectivity and passenger confidence in air travel.

ACI World Director General Angela Gittens said

Angela Gittens, ACI Director General: “the biggest challenge ever faced by commercial aviation”

Airports and airlines have come together with ICAO and the wider aviation industry to address the biggest challenge ever faced by commercial aviation in restarting a global industry while continuing to halt the spread of Covid-19. There is currently no single measure that could mitigate all the risks of restarting air travel but we believe a globally-consistent, outcome-based approach represents the most effective way of balancing risk mitigation with the need to unlock economies and to enable travel.

IATA’s Director General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said

Safety is always our top priority and that includes public health. Restoring air connectivity is vital to restarting the global economy and reconnecting people. Our layered approach of measures recommended by airports and airlines safeguards public health while offering a practical approach for a gradual restart of operations. It is important to remember that the risk of transmission on board is very low. And we are determined that aviation will not be a significant source of re-infection. We are working continuously with governments to ensure that any measures put in place are done so consistently and with scientific backing. That is key to restoring public confidence so the benefits of safely re-starting aviation can be realised.