Travelers expect more delays and rudeness in Canada

Canadians are expecting the holiday travel season to be a rather unpleasant one, with increased delays and more rudeness on the part of other travelers, as well as the air travel sector’s employees. Travelocity.ca recently conducted a survey on Canadian attitudes concerning air travel and the results show that the majority of people in this North American country have adopted a rather pessimistic and cynical view. According to the results of the so-called “Air Travel Tolerance Poll” fully 97.5% of Canadian travelers have reported that they plan on experiencing delays at airports during the peak holiday travel season. The vast majority of travelers feel that these delays are likely to happen at just about any point, including on the tarmac—just before take-off—as well as at the gate and once the airplane is in the air.

Related to the perception—held by virtually all Canadians—that delays have become standard in the air travel industry, is the belief that other travelers have become less patient. Fully 39% of respondents believe that their fellow travelers are likely to become rude, as a result of the frustration caused by constant delays. More than 44% of Canadians have also reported that the most annoying aspect of a flight is when they are seated next to overly talkative neighbours, or when flight attendants and airline staff in general come across as disdainful, impatient and unhelpful. Interestingly, it is the human aspect of air travel that seems to concern most Canadians, as only a relatively small minority of travelers are at all concerned about the cleanliness of restrooms aboard airplanes (16%) or the state of air circulation aboard an aircraft (15%). The survey also indicates that most passengers find that it is more important to have pleasant, courteous and helpful cabin crew than to receive the top choice in seating arrangements.

www.travelocity.com