Survey: 80% of Americans have made changes to the way they travel

Key points

• Nearly 75% of Americans we surveyed have had a flight delayed or canceled in the past year.
• More than 80% of these travelers have recently made changes to the way they travel.
• Online searches for travel insurance are up more than 60%.

Sometimes, air travel can feel like a chore. We surveyed 2,000 Americans who have flown in the last year and found that a high number of them missed flights because of long security lines, had flights canceled due to airline staffing shortages or experienced issues with their luggage. Of those surveyed, most have made changes to the way they travel. 

Flight delays, canceled flights and long security lines

Nearly 75% of travelers we surveyed said they have had a flight delayed or canceled in the last year. Bad weather was the main reason for cancellations, but long security lines and airline staffing shortages weren’t far behind. We found that 30% of survey respondents had a flight delayed for more than 90 minutes, 16% had a flight canceled because of staffing shortages and 13% missed a flight because of long security lines.

America’s biggest travel fears

The high number of people who have experienced flight cancellations and security delays reflect what travelers say are currently their main concerns about flying. When asked about their biggest worry while traveling, 33% of respondents said it was that their flight would be canceled or delayed. COVID-19 is also among these travelers' biggest concerns.

While the travelers we surveyed are most concerned about getting to their destination on schedule, they said the most difficult part of flying is getting through security. This travel stressor is followed by worries about changing planes, getting to and from the airport and the flight itself.

Lost and stolen luggage

Luggage problems were an issue for nearly 40% of survey respondents. Airline bag delays were the most common problem, followed by lost, damaged and stolen luggage.

Bags aren’t the only thing people are losing while traveling. Toiletries are the most commonly lost item, followed by clothing. Around 10% of people we surveyed said they had lost their phone, camera or wallet while traveling in the last year.

Americans are changing the way they travel

More than 80% of travelers we surveyed say they have changed the way they travel in recent years. The biggest changes: People are paying more attention to cancellation policies, planning further in advance and buying travel insurance.

Increasingly, travelers are looking to travel insurance to protect their trip investments. Online searches for travel insurance are up 63% since 2018. 

In the past year, 33% of survey respondents bought travel insurance for a domestic trip, 27% bought travel insurance for an international trip and 15% wished they had purchased travel insurance after something happened while traveling.

Travel insurance covers your prepaid, nonrefundable trip expenses, before and during your trip. A comprehensive travel insurance policy bundles together coverage for trip cancellation and interruption, trip delay, travel medical, emergency medical evacuation and baggage. All of this travel insurance coverage will cost you around 4% to 6% of the total of your nonrefundable trip expenses.

Travel insurance might be worth it to you if you are planning an international trip or cruise and your domestic health insurance coverage will not extend outside of the country. You might also consider a travel insurance policy with primary travel medical insurance and high emergency medical evacuation limits if you are planning an active vacation or will be visiting a remote area. If you get injured while traveling, medevac flights can cost up to $55,000 within the U.S. or hundreds of thousands of dollars from another country back to the U.S. 

Methodology

This online survey of 2,000 Americans who have traveled by plane in the last year was commissioned by USA TODAY Blueprint and conducted by market research company OnePoll, in accordance with the Market Research Society’s code of conduct. Data was collected from Oct. 10 to Oct. 16, 2023. The margin of error is +/- 2.2 points with 95% confidence. This survey was overseen by the OnePoll research team, which is a member of the MRS and has corporate membership with the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR).