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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JUST THE FACTS

WHAT AMERICANS WANT IN AIRLINE TRAVEL
According To The American Express Leisure Travel Index
Timeframe: Fourth Quarter 2003 through 2004

• More Americans will travel by plane to their vacation destinations the remainder of 2003 through 2004 than those who said they planned to fly in 2002 (55% vs. 44%).
• The majority (57%) will fly to visit family or friends. Other flyers will stay at a beach resort (36%), visit cultural or historical sites (26%) vacation, or take a cruise (19%).
• Those planning to fly in 2004 will spend $3,841 for their vacations of five days or more.

Who Flies the Most?

• Of those traveling during the remainder of 2003 through 2004, among all age groups, 55-64 year olds are most likely to fly (60%), while 35-44 year olds are least likely (45%).
• Wealthier travelers are more apt to fly. Three out of four (75%) in the highest income range of $75,000+ are most apt to fly. Those with household incomes under $25,000 are least likely to fly (39%).
• Travelers from the West (65%) are more likely to fly than those from the South (45%), the Northeast (57%), and the North Central states (52%).

How Do Flyers Select One Airline Over Another?

• The vast majority (77%) of flyers say competitive prices count the most when choosing one airline over another, followed by flight schedule (51%), customer service (42%), reward points/frequent flyer miles (33%), and specially advertised deals (32%).
• More than one in four (26%) say they choose a particular airline.
• Concerning customer service, more fliers are concerned with offline service such as short waits for reservation staff than with online service such as quick responses to inquiries or user-friendly site features (37% vs. 25%).

Why Travelers Like the Discount Airlines

• Nearly three out of five fliers (59%) say "the discounted price" is most appealing, followed by 38% who cite flight schedules of discount airlines.
  • Younger fliers, 18-34 and those in the 35-44-age range are most apt to find price appealing (71% each), while older travelers, 45-54 years of age, are less likely (53%).
• More than one in three (36%) say discount airlines are most appealing as they provide the "same or better service as larger carriers."
• One in four (25%) like the "no-frills concept." No-frills is most appreciated by travelers 45 - 54 years of age (28%), and by those with household incomes of $50,000-$75,000 (29%).
• Only 12% say that discount airlines "don't appeal to me."

Preferred Airline Services

• The majority (61%) of fliers say a "flight schedule that meets my needs" is most important to them when selecting an airline for vacation travel.
• 57% want direct, non-stop flights.
• 48% want "courteous service from gate and in-flight crews."
• 44% want on-time performance.
• 43% want comfortable legroom.
• 8% want special services for pets.
• Only 8% care about the food.

How Will They Pay?

• The vast majority (73%) of fliers plan to use a credit or charge card to pay for airfare, followed by 11% who plan to pay in cash, 6% plan to use a debit card, 5% who plan to redeem reward points or frequent flyer miles, and 2% who plan to pay with a check.
• In the past year, more than one in four (37%) used reward points/miles for airline tickets, and more than one in three (44%) say they "consciously save" rewards and frequent flyer miles with the intention of using them to pay for all or part of their airfare expenses.

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