A global survey of air travelers has determined the best and worst times for air travel. One day was particularly positive.
A recent global survey asked airline passengers about their favorite and least favorite times for air travel. A customer satisfaction research company surveyed millions of air travelers from several nations who traveled by plane in the first quarter of 2024. As the New York Post reports, the results were very clear: The worst day to travel for most passengers is Sunday.
According to the New York Post, over 80 percent of travelers said Sunday was the day they hated most to fly, while an astonishing 83.5 percent preferred to travel on a Wednesday. In contrast, 78.3 percent of respondents rated midnight departures as the most hated, while 84.5 percent had no objection to departures at 7 a.m.
“We have found over the years that late night flights are consistently perceived as the most inconvenient. This year is no exception, midnight is the least popular time of day, based on customer feedback,” Miika Mäkitalo, CEO of HappyOrNot, told the New York Post.
The survey results suggest that passengers like to fly early in the morning to leave the airport before the crowds, it continues. “Early in the morning is the time when airport facilities are probably the cleanest and tidiest and staff are full of energy as they start their shifts,” Mäkitalo explained.
In total, the responses of ten million airline passengers from 30 countries who expressed their satisfaction using the smiley machines installed by HappyOrNot.com in the first three months of 2024 were evaluated. The machines, which are often found in front of public toilets, give users the opportunity to select their mood from happy to sad on a tablet.
The survey results also revealed which areas of an airport are least liked by travelers. For example, baggage claim was considered the most unpleasant part of the airport, while the security check area was considered the most pleasant part of the airport. The three biggest concerns of passengers were friendliness, cleanliness and waiting times.
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“The security officer didn’t even offer to pat me down, she just stood there and waited for the prosthesis to be removed,” the passenger said.
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