Travel Paranoia Revealed
11th July 2005
Men are impatient, women are worried: the truth of Britain's travel nightmares.
Nation-wide survey by flymycase.com reveals the nation's holiday paranoia.
As the British public begin jetting off for their summer holidays, innovative travel service flymycase.com - which send holidaymakers luggage ahead - has discovered how stressful a supposedly relaxing break can be. Waiting for luggage at the carousel topped the poll of stressful experiences at the airport, while other findings uncovered the travel gripes at the heart of a jet-set nation:
Men worry more about the long queue at check-in than anything else on holiday, while a third of women admitted to stressing most about whether their luggage would be lost
45% of people have experienced lost or delayed luggage (increasing to 57% in the 55 plus age bracket)
1 in 5 people have experienced lost luggage and almost 1 in 3 damaged luggage
Two thirds of respondents cited the nervy wait at the carousel as the most frustrating part of their holiday
Men carry the most expensive luggage (8% valuing their luggage between £750 and £1000, compared to 5% of women)
No-one from the East of England claimed to carry luggage worth over £1000, compared to 5% of Londoners
The average value of a holiday suitcase's contents is £250 - £500 (40% of respondents)
1 in 10 people have had to part with extra cash because their luggage exceeded the maximum weight limit set by an airport
Respondents aged 16 - 24 carry the heaviest luggage, with 16% having to pay an excess luggage charge
15% of people will struggle with heavy objects on their holiday this year. One in six 25 - 35 year olds plan to travel with prams for their children, while 5% of men expect to carry golf clubs
Managing Director of Fly My Case, Gideon Kasfiner, says: "Luggage forms the hub of our holiday problems, whether carrying it, checking it in, hanging around for it or desperately trying to replace everything if it goes astray. Everyone knows someone with a story of lost or damaged luggage. We are finding that increasing numbers of people are using services like ours because they just don't want it to happen to them. In the States, luggage-free travel is the accepted norm and is becoming so over here as travellers plan to enjoy every precious moment of their holiday."
20 million bags are lost by airlines worldwide each year
Complaints for mishandled luggage increased by 50% last year according to the Air Transport Users' Council
A league table compiled by the Association of European Airlines (judged on their lost luggage record) found Turkish Airlines to be the best performer with just four bags out of 1,000 lost or delayed, while among the worst were BA (24.1 per 1,000) and KLM (26.1 per 1,000)
Over 31 million passengers make use of London Gatwick each year, while Heathrow is the world's busiest airport - serving over 60 million passengers each year and providing a base to more than 90 airlines, collectively travelling to 170 destinations.
Highlands and Islands Airports handled over one million passengers in the year to 31 March 2005 setting a new record for the area. Growth is continuing and Inverness is now breaking new records with many additional flights weekly since easyjet has commenced to fly from the airport a few weeks ago.
Increasingly crowded skies mean suggest that the proportion of luggage lost or delayed will increase. In the US, delayed luggage reports have risen by 10% in the last year according to the Department of Transportation
The nationwide survey found similar results regarding worries about luggage
Scotland
65% find that having to wait for their luggage is quite stressful or annoying.
56% said that the amount of time they spend queuing stresses them.
28% said worrying about whether their luggage will be lost worries them.
17% get stressed about having to manage both luggage and children.
9% are planning to travel this year with a pram, while 6% are going to taking along sports equipment (such as golf clubs, skis, etc...)
11% have had to pay extra because their luggage has exceeded the maximum check-in weight.
44% have had either their luggage lost or stolen.
61% estimate that the value of their luggage (bag and contents) from their last holiday was over £250.
South East Of England
67% find that having to wait for their luggage is quite stressful or annoying.
62% said that the amount of time they spend queuing stresses them.
29% said worrying about whether their luggage will be lost worries them.
17% get stressed about having to manage both luggage and children.
10% are planning to travel this year with a pram, while 9% are going to taking along sports equipment (such as golf clubs, skis, etc...)
10% have had to pay extra because their luggage has exceeded the maximum check-in weight.
52% have had either their luggage lost or stolen.
58% estimate that the value of their luggage (bag and contents) from their last holiday was over £250.
Fly My Case, is a revolutionary travel service that enables holidaymakers to send their luggage separately, cost-effectively and with complete confidence.
Whether it's suitcases, skis, dive bags, golf clubs or prams, flymycase.com picks up luggage from your home or office before departure and ensures it's waiting at the hotel or villa - allowing users to saunter through the airport with hands in pockets, safe in the knowledge that their bag will not be joining the 20 million lost by holidaymakers and business travellers annually. Travel stress is reduced and holiday time maximised as check-in is cut by up to 40 minutes each way, plus extra time saved waiting at the carousel. Bookings are made online at www.flymycase.com , when customers are provided with a unique tracking number, enabling them to follow the progress of their luggage in real time on the website. This is made possible because, unlike airlines, flymycase.com scans items a minimum of six times during transit.
