New survey reveals key inconveniences faced by U.S. travellers at airports

A recent survey conducted on behalf of Checkin.com Group has highlighted the primary challenges faced by American air travellers. The survey, which included responses from 1,212 adults across the U.S., identified long lines at airport security (61%), flight delays or cancellations (57%) and long lines at airline terminal counters (41%) as the top three inconveniences encountered by passengers.

Respondents also reported varying wait times at security and check-in counters. While 8% claimed to wait less than 10 minutes, a significant 27% indicated waits of 10 to 19 minutes. Additionally, 29% reported average waits of 20 to 29 minutes, while 23% said they typically wait between 30 and 45 minutes. Notably, 9% of travellers wait between 46 minutes and an hour, and 4% experienced waits exceeding one hour.

The survey also explored travellers’ willingness to pay for expedited document review services. An overwhelming 76% of respondents expressed readiness to pay a fee to have their travel documents pre-approved, allowing them to head directly to the gate. Among those willing to pay, 35% would consider fees over $10, while another 33% indicated they would pay between $5 and $10. Only 8% would pay between $1 and $5 for the service.

April Rae Mallord, General Manager of the U.S. Market at Checkin.com Group, said: “It’s actually surprising that American consumers are so irritated by airport delays that they would be willing to pay their airlines extra to have their passports, visas and enhanced driver’s licenses reviewed and accepted before they leave for the airport. The fact is that the technology and systems exist today to remove this extra friction from their flying experience.”

The survey also assessed user satisfaction with U.S. airline mobile apps for flight check-ins. The airlines ranked highest for satisfaction included SkyWest Airlines (93%), Alaska Airlines (91%), Allegiant Air (87%), Delta Air Lines (83%) and American Airlines (82%). Conversely, Frontier Airlines (73%), Spirit Airlines (70%) and Hawaiian Airlines (65%) received the lowest satisfaction ratings.

Conducted from 6-9 September 2024, the online survey has been weighted to ensure representation across key demographics, including age, gender, region, race/ethnicity and education, in alignment with U.S. census data. The survey’s credibility interval is plus or minus four percentage points for questions answered by all respondents, with a larger interval for questions answered by fewer respondents.