Late flight? Fliers want to know about it, and know about it in time to exercise options. Problem is, airlines aren’t notifying folks all that promptly, so contends a new study.
A gate-side survey by the flight information company FlightView finds a full 78 percent of travelers are often frustrated by an absence of timely, accurate information – particularly when it comes to delays.
FlightView conducted the survey at Boston Logan International, Denver International, San Diego International, and Myrtle Beach International airports.
Among the more salient findings:
- 45 percent said their biggest gripe was not knowing where their airplane was, or when it would arrive.
- 34 percent said their main complaint was not getting departure information quickly and accurately.
“Most travelers understand that flight delays are part of flying,” says FlightView CEO Mike Benjamin. “But when airlines fail to proactively communicate with travelers about the status of their flights, frustration levels rise and equity is lost.”
“I think they’re absolutely right,” says Kate Hanni, founder of FlyersRights.org. “The number of complaints that we have had from people who arrive at the airport only to find out that they were not notified of a significant delay has been extremely high. I would say that probably 50 percent of our complaints are about flight delays where there was no notification.”
The consumer advocate says airlines should invest more money in notification networks. “They have redundancy in all of their safety systems. They have three sets of hydraulics on most aircraft in case one fails. But they have absolutely zero redundancy when it comes to their notification systems.”
Hanni’s of the opinion “that…it benefits them to not notify people. Because once you get to the airport, you’re checked in and you find out your flight’s delayed it’s much harder to change [your plans] at that point than it is if you’re notified [with decent lead time]. If people have adequate notification time, they can advocate for themselves and make changes in advance that would get them to their destination on time.”
Last time you were delayed did the airline keep you in the loop with timely information? Tell us.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: Loren Sztajer)
