Only one-third of U.S. adults say their attitude toward flying changed because of it, according to a new Harris Poll. Fifteen percent said the news made them much more anxious about flying while 18 percent said it made them somewhat more anxious. Two-thirds (65%) say their attitude remains the same.
Only one in ten U.S. adults say they made changes to their travel plans to avoid flying while three-quarters (76%) did not make any changes. Seven in ten (70%) say that they are anticipating flying the same amount in the next twelve months as they did in the previous twelve.
This has to be good news for the airline industry. They were worried that a major security scare, the upcoming 5 year marker of the September 11th terrorist attacks, and rising tensions around the world was going to hurt them.However, Continental Airlines Inc (CAL) says that its passenger revenue in August was hurt by heightened security concerns that followed the uncovering of a suspected plot to blow up U.S.-bound airliners.
Continental said passenger revenue per available seat mile, or unit revenue, across its network increased by an estimated 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent during August from last year. But the No.4 U.S. carrier said it estimated that heightened security concerns negatively impacted those measures by about 1.5 points during the month.
Two conflicting responses, passengers are saying one thing but some airlines are showing a different bottom line. Will be interesting to see how the month of September plays out for the industry. Are travelers as strong as they say that are?
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