Survey says people ready to fly again





Five weeks after Sept. 11, a day that involved the worst air catastrophes in the history of the U.S., J.D. Power and Associates and Yahoo! Inc. reported that nearly two-thirds of airline passengers are "already comfortable" with flying again. Only 3 percent of flyers feel that they will "never" be at ease with the air travel experience.


The study was designed by Agoura Hills-based J.D. Power and Associates and was conducted with Yahoo! Inc., a leading global Internet communications, commerce and media company. More than 2,200 adults were surveyed about recent air travel experiences and future air travel intent.


Seventy-two percent of flyers feel that air travel "has changed forever." Eighty-three percent of flyers indicated that they did not mind a longer check-in process at airports. More than one-half of airline passengers are willing to pay "a security tax" on each ticket to provide increased security.


Respondents rated in-flight armed air marshals and armor-reinforced cockpit doors as equally important.


"A lingering fear of air travel was the most often cited reason for the public’s reduced travel habits," said Michael Taylor, director of travel services at J.D. Power and Associates. "However, business travelers cited a slowing economy as another leading reason for a slowdown in business travel. Leisure travelers listed ‘wanting to stay closer to home’ as another important factor."



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