Air travellers are increasingly frustrated with the COVID-19 travel restrictions, with a recent Iata survey among 4 700 respondents in 11 markets in September highlighting that passengers believe the risks of COVID-19 can be effectively managed and that the freedom to travel should be restored.
Some of the key points noted in the survey were:
- 67% of respondents felt that most country borders should be opened now, up 12 percentage points from the June 2021 survey.
- 64% of respondents felt that border closures were unnecessary and had not been effective in containing the virus (up 11 percentage points from June 2021).
- 73% said their quality of life was suffering as a result of COVID-19 travel restrictions (up 6 percentage points from June 2021).
“People are increasingly frustrated with the COVID-19 travel restrictions and have seen their quality of life suffer as a result. They don’t see the necessity of travel restrictions to control the virus. And they have missed too many family moments, personal development opportunities and business priorities,” said Iata Director General, Willie Walsh.
“In short, they miss the freedom of flying and want it restored. The message they are sending to governments is: COVID-19 is not going to disappear, so we must establish a way to manage its risks while living and travelling normally.”
Support grows for testing or vaccination to replace quarantine
The biggest deterrent to air travel continues to be quarantine measures with 84% of respondents indicating they will not travel if there is a chance of quarantine at their destination. A growing proportion of respondents support the removal of quarantine if:
- A person has tested negative for COVID-19 (73% in September compared with 67% in June).
- A person has been vaccinated (71% in September compared with 68% in June).
With the vaccination rates globally increasing, 80% of respondents agree that vaccinated people should be able to travel freely by air. However, there were strong views against making vaccination a condition for air travel. About two-thirds felt it was morally wrong to restrict travel only to those who had been vaccinated. Over 80% of respondents believe that testing before air travel should be an alternative for people without access to vaccination.
While 85% are willing to be tested if required in the travel process, several issues remain:
- 75% of respondents indicated that the cost of testing was a significant barrier to travel.
- 80% believe that governments should bear the cost of testing.
- 77% see the inconvenience of testing as a barrier to travel.
“There is a message here for governments. People are willing to be tested to travel but they don’t like the cost or the inconvenience. Both can be addressed by governments. The reliability of rapid antigen tests is recognised by the World Health Organisation,” said Walsh.
“Broader acceptance of antigen testing by governments would reduce inconvenience and cost – costs that the WHO’s International Health Regulations stipulate should be borne by governments. It is also clear that while people accept testing and other measures, such as mask-wearing, as necessary, they want to return to more normal ways of travel when it is safe to do so.”
High confidence with travel experience
Among those who have travelled since June 2020, 86% felt safe on board the flight owing to the COVID-19 measures.
- 87% believed protective measures were well implemented.
- 88% felt airline personnel were doing a good job in enforcing COVID-19 rules.
There is also strong support for wearing masks, with 87% of respondents agreeing that doing so will prevent the spread of COVID-19.
With more markets starting to open to travel, something that needs to be addressed is the COVID-related travel rules and requirements.
- 73% of those who have travelled since June 2020 found it challenging to understand what rules applied for a trip (up from 70% in June).
- 73% felt the COVID-19 paperwork was challenging to arrange (also up from 70% in June).
“People want to travel; 86% expect to be travelling within six months of the crisis ending. With COVID-19 becoming endemic, vaccines being widely available and therapeutics improving rapidly, we are quickly approaching that point in time,” said Walsh.
“People also tell us that they are confident to travel. But what those who have travelled are telling us is that the rules are too complex and the paperwork too onerous. To secure the recovery, governments need to simplify processes, restore the freedom to travel and adopt digital solutions to issue and manage travel health credentials.”
