Increased travel demand puts spotlight on airline disruption response, says CMAC Group
Despite a rise in global passenger traffic, CMAC Group’s research at World Aviation Festival 2023 shows continued challenges with flight delays impacting airline loyalty.
AMSTERDAM – One year after ground transportation and accommodation specialist CMAC Group’s report on passenger experiences of flight disruption, delays remain a challenge for airlines. At World Aviation Festival 2023, CMAC Group released independent research that highlighted the impact of airline travel disruptions on passenger loyalty. The report revealed that 78% of travellers experienced delays, with half lasting more than three hours. Additionally, 10% faced delays exceeding 12 hours or never reached their destination.
More than 12 months on and global passenger traffic has risen 8% compared to July 2023. This, along with supply chain bottlenecks and airport capacity issues puts carriers under increasing pressure to meet the current travel demand, whilst tackling existing operational challenges.
Peter Slater, CEO of CMAC, says: “As we kick off another World Aviation Festival, we’re still seeing airlines under the same, if not more, stresses when it comes to managing delays and disruption, only this time, we have even more travellers flying each day. With the marked increase in passenger numbers this year, flight disruption is still a concern amongst travellers. Airlines need to focus not only on punctuality but on ensuring passengers are well-supported when delays occur to ensure ongoing loyalty and satisfaction.”
Crucially for airlines, the research found that 46% of passengers state their experience of poorly managed disruption makes them less likely to fly with the same airline again.
Slater continues: “Although technology has a huge role to play in airlines’ response to disruption, our research revealed that when travel plans are disrupted the overwhelming majority (82%) want to deal with human beings rather than automated solutions. It remains clear that winning consumer confidence and demonstrating a willingness to put things right when flights are cancelled or delayed – with a real person on hand – is still key to giving airlines a crucial competitive advantage.”
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
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