Point-to-point airlines and especially low-cost carriers, will be well-positioned to lead travel recovery post-COVID, according to data and analytics company, GlobalData.
This is a result of consumers wanting to travel closer to home and also working with budget constraints.
A poll revealed that, out of 1 160 respondents, 43% would consider taking a domestic trip in the next year and 27% would consider an international trip that was on the same continent.
“By flying direct as opposed to travelling via a hub airport, travellers will eliminate any unnecessary stops where they could inadvertently mix with passengers from around the world, which would notably increase the risk,” says Gus Gardner, associate travel and tourism analyst at GlobalData.
With regard to budget constraints, a poll that was run in Q1 of this year to determine consumers’ financial situations, showed that, of 21 768 respondents, 87% were ‘extremely’, ‘quite’ or ‘somewhat’ concerned about their finances; 50% reported that they either ‘somewhat’ or ‘completely’ agreed that their household has been reduced in the last year.
“Many travellers will be looking to cut costs, and LCCs will likely benefit from this. Cost-cutting measures, including streamlining operations and salary reductions, will allow LCCs to push ticket prices to new lows to win over budget-conscious travellers that historically would have used full-service carriers,” Gus adds.
