According to Sabre, a technology provider to the travel industry, 60% of American and British travellers would fly with an African airline.
The study, Africa inbound travel trends, surveyed 2 000 travellers from the UK and the US and found that six out of 10 travellers from these countries would consider flying with an African airline if they were travelling to Africa. Among Americans aged 25-34, this figure rose to seven out of 10.
“Confidence in African airlines is the highest it’s been among some of Africa’s key inbound tourism markets. This creates a golden opportunity for African airlines to compete globally for inbound passenger traffic, 80% of which is operated by international carriers today,” said Dino Gelmetti, Vice President EMEA, Airline Solutions, Sabre.
The study aimed to identify the challenges and opportunities faced by African airlines in a bid to help them become more profitable. African airlines made a combined profit of just $100 million last year – the lowest of all global regions.
Price and flight duration are priorities
The UK and US are two of Africa’s largest inbound tourism markets. When it comes to choosing a flight, visitors from both nations look at price, schedule and flight duration. 20% of UK travellers said reputation was a big factor in choosing an airline, while 25% of Americans were more interested in loyalty offerings.
According to the report, British travellers focus more on price, reputation and on-board comfort. Americans look at loyalty schemes, inflight entertainment, on-board technology, reputation and personalisation. Personalised services are a priority for 12.5% of American travellers aged between 25 and 34.
The International Air Transport Association, in its 2016 Airline Safety Performance, found that sub-Saharan Africa registered the best safety performance in a decade, with no fatalities. Overall, Africa’s accident rate was 2.30 per one million departures, down from 9.73 for 2011-15.
