Airline Angst: Delayed Flights and Tarmac 'Parking Lots' Top List of Air Travel Ouch Points, Opinion Research Corporation's Latest Study Finds

PRINCETON, N.J., Aug. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The latest in a series of "Ouch Point" surveys from Opinion Research Corporation (an infoUSA Company, Nasdaq: IUSA) cites flight delays (16 percent) and "parking lots" on the tarmac (16 percent) as consumers' top complaints when traveling by air.

Causes of airline angst appear to vary significantly with age. Nearly one quarter of those respondents between the ages of 35 and 44 were aggravated by delayed or cancelled flights, compared with only 13 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 24. For younger respondents, lost luggage was the biggest source of irritation (18 percent).

"Strict safety regulations have contributed to a diminished customer experience in recent years," said Wayne Russum, Vice President at Opinion Research USA. "Airlines also have to contend with measures outside of their control, such as weather and traffic delays, which further impact the customer experience and can potentially damage the airline's reputation. Young adults appear to be more tolerant of these inconveniences than older generations are."

Although recent carry-on luggage restrictions did not appear to be a significant concern for most respondents, those between the ages of 18 and 24 (10 percent) were the most likely to take issue with having to reduce cabin baggage. Interestingly, the higher the household income, the more likely the respondent was to be annoyed by delayed or cancelled flights (23 percent) and sitting on the runway for more than 30 minutes (21%).

The survey also revealed that a sizeable proportion of respondents (38 percent) did not believe that airlines are honest about the reasons for flight delays or cancellations.

    Consumers top airline travel "Ouch Points" include:

    Delayed or cancelled flights                                         16 %
    Sitting on the runway for more than 30 minutes                       16 %
    Lost luggage                                                         13 %
    Long lines for security                                               9 %
    Long lines at check-in                                                8 %
    Crowded flights where every seat is taken                             7 %
    Carry-on baggage restrictions                                         5 %
    Rude flight attendants                                                4 %

Opinion Research Corporation's "Ouch Point" series is a monthly survey examining tolerance thresholds in a variety of common scenarios facing Americans in both their professional and personal lives every day.

About Opinion Research Corporation

Founded in 1938, Opinion Research Corporation, an infoUSA company, helps its clients grow their business by leveraging the insights of market research. The firm has been conducting national, speech reaction, state and flash/overnight polls for CNN since April 2006. To learn more, visit www.opinionresearch.com.

About infoUSA

infoUSA (www.infoUSA.com), founded in 1972, is the leading provider of business and consumer databases for sales leads & mailing lists, database marketing services, data processing services and sales and marketing solutions. Content is the essential ingredient in every marketing program, and infoUSA has the most comprehensive data in the industry, and is the only company to own 12 proprietary databases under one roof. The infoUSA database powers the directory services of the top Internet traffic-generating sites. Nearly 4 million customers use infoUSA's products and services to find new customers, grow their sales, and for other direct marketing, telemarketing, customer analysis and credit reference purposes. infoUSA headquarters are located at 5711 S. 86th Circle, Omaha, NE 68127 and can be contacted at (402) 593-4500. To know more about Sales Leads, click www.infousa.com. To get a 72-hour free trial and 100 free sales leads, click www.salesgenie.com.

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