Europeans’ interest for travel climbs to its highest level. 72% of them intend to travel till the end of September
- Almost a half of the European citizens who intend to travel want to do it by plane;
- You can get 100% of your compensation in 48 hours if your flight was canceled or if it had a delay of more than three hours.
The desire for travel among European citizens is at its highest, according to the most recent study of the which shows a strong interest of people to resume travels, especially by plane, but there are still some fears regarding flight disruptions and also important aspects such as claiming compensations, according to the Flight Refund experts who have analyzed the study.
Thus, 72% of the respondents intend to take at least a trip by the end of September, which means the general will to travel of the EU citizens has reached its highest level since the beginning of the poll, in August 2020.
Almost a half of travelers (47%) show a willingness to make their next trip by plane, while car travel remains the second most popular choice for 39% of Europeans.
“The ETC report shows that Europeans want to travel a lot they prefer to do it by plane, which means an increasing volume of flights and indirectly more flight disruptions. Passengers must be aware of their rights, they must make the right choice and opt at an early stage for services that will protect them if their experience canceled flights, delays or any other unpleasant incident, in order to obtain compensations”, explains Katalin Ludvig, CEO of Flight Refund, a company specialized in claiming compensations from the airlines.
“A recent survey conducted by Censuswide revealed that technology would increase confidence to travel in the next 12 months for 80% of travelers. There is much to be done in terms of digitizing products, implementing online payments and increasing the overall online experience of the customer. On the other hand, booking flexibility is a must, and it’s here to stay, at least in some sectors. Throughout 2021, travelers will be looking for transparency about cancellation and refund policies, trip insurance options, and rebook options in the event that their destination has new travel restrictions”, added Katalin Ludvig.
Spain, Italy, France, Greece and Portugal are the top preferred destinations
As for destination choice, more than a half (51%) aim to travel to another European country and 36% to remain within their domestic borders. Europeans who travel abroad this summer prefer southern destinations such as Spain, Italy, France, Greece and Portugal for their next trip.
The vaccination has a direct impact on travel plans, with 54% of travelers intending to book a trip once they have been vaccinated against COVID-19. The implementation of the EU COVID digital certificate has been accepted by 57% of Europeans, who believe that the certificate will facilitate the planning of their next trip.
Air travel remains the most worrisome part of the journey for 18% of all respondents for health and safety reasons.
The pandemic remains the main cause of concern regarding air travel, but it is only an indirect cause which leads to flight disruptions, according to Flight Refund’s experts.
“From our knowledge, only 1% of the travelers have received in 2020 compensations directly from the airlines, because the passengers are not aware of their rights and didn’t choose any services that protect them if their flight is canceled, delayed or if they experience problems due to any reason other than force majeure. We advise passengers to opt before the flight for services that offer them protection and they will get compensations almost immediately”, stated Katalin Ludvig.
In case of flight canceling or other incident the average compensation per passenger is higher than 360 euros
The amount that a traveler who chooses the Flight Refund services before flight vary between 250 and 600 euros and it depends on the distance and not on the ticket price. The compensation is obtained if the airline is responsible for the flight canceling, important delays, technical problems, strikes of the airline personnel, absence of a crew member or denied boarding of the passenger.
In this case Flight Refund verifies in short term the eligibility of the passenger’s demand and transfers 100% of the compensation amount in his bank account in 48 hours. The average compensation per passenger is higher than 360 euros and the success rate is 98%.