OAG has released The COVID-19 Recovery: Getting Passengers Back on Board, a new report on traveller confidence based on a global survey of over 4,000 users of its flightview travel app. Overall, fear levels over catching COVID-19 while flying are tepid, and most consumers are open to air travel.

Key findings include:

• Sixty-nine percent intend to fly internationally within the next six months, while 79% have plans for domestic air travel.
• The eagerness to travel is more apparent among millennials and Gen-Z. Both generations are less apt to make travel adjustments and more eager to travel domestically compared to their worldwide counterparts.
• Nearly one-third have not and do not intend to change their travel habits.
• Seventy-six percent of travelers agreed mask mandates are the most effective safety measure airlines and airports can implement, followed by improved cleaning procedures

“Most consumers, especially younger travellers, are prepared to fly under the right circumstances,” said John Grant, chief analyst at OAG. “The lack of fear is certainly surprising and bodes well for the market recovery. Of course, full recovery will be driven by how well we fight the pandemic globally and when travel restrictions are safely lifted.”

On a 10-point scale, more than half of consumers rate concerns over catching COVID-19 while traveling less than five, with 21% indicating no fear. Still, OAG found that sharing real-time information remains critical for building traveller confidence – even before the airport. For example, during the search and booking process, most consumers would value real-time updates and predictions around flight and hotel capacity (61%), and COVID-19 transmission rates at intended destinations (53%).