If the thought of traveling during the Christmas holidays makes you ill, you're in good company. A new travel industry survey finds that 39 percent would rather take the bus than fly.
Irked by new travel security requirements, higher traffic and the clutter of presents, many air travelers express frustration about flying.
[Lower Gas Prices Could Rev Up Holiday Spending.]
Lessening the hassles, said the U.S. Travel Association, could win back customers. "Our research shows that reducing hassle without compromising security will encourage more Americans to fly — as many as two to three additional trips a year — leading to an additional $85 billion in spending that would support 900,000 American jobs," said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association.
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We just received their Christmas-Hanukkah survey which found:
When it comes to holiday air travel, a striking number of passengers would rather not fly. Two out of every five passengers (39%) would rather take another form of transportation (e.g., auto, train, bus RV) than fly to reach their final destination.
-A majority of passengers (70%) say they will check at least one bag during their holiday travels.
-A majority of all passengers (58%) will bring holiday gifts with them.
-More than half (63%) will check their holiday gifts.
-One third (32%) will carry their gifts onto the plane.
-Most passengers traveling without gifts chose to ship them to their final destination (65%).
-About one third (32.8%) of travelers said they avoid flying with gifts because it is too much hassle.
-Most passengers (56%) are unaware of the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA's) new pat down policy for children.
-More than one third (35%) of passengers don't know how much airlines will charge for their checked bag.
- See photos of the Obamas behind the scenes.
- Check out our gallery of Whispers political caricatures.
- Are you on the list? Explore the White House visitor log.
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