Security lines, lost baggage and delayed flights are some of the reasons travelers say they find hopping a plane is more stressful than going to their day job, according to a recent survey.
“It’s just not a routine most people are comfortable with,” said Melanie Lieberman, senior travel editor at The Points Guy.
Their recent survey found that more than half of recent flyers find going to airport and catching a plane causes more anxiety than going to work.
“The process of air travel has a lot of moving parts. You need to book your ticket, go to the airport, go through airport security, board the plane, and I think all of those components can really add to the stress,” Lieberman said.
More than 44% of recent flyers find the air travel process to be more stressful than going to the dentist or spending the day with in-laws and 55% said the same about spring cleaning, the survey said. Additionally, 37% say air travel is more stressful than filing their taxes and 35% say that about the DMV.
To cut down on the stress, she suggests skipping the security line by getting TSA PreCheck, booking the first flight out and packing only a carry on or mailing your suitcase to get there when you arrive.
Additionally, 63% of flyers that took the survey say that avoiding a layover, getting a little more leg room and skipping that security line are some of the things they’d pay for when it comes to flying.
When thinking about a six-hour, $500 round-trip basic economy flight, 63% of recent flyers would be willing to pay extra to avoid a layover/get a direct flight, 60% would pay to get a more comfortable seat and 41% would pay to skip the security line, the survey said.
Lieberman said you may already have a credit card that could help with these costs.
“You might have a co-branded airline credit card that gives you access to priority boarding or maybe you have a credit card that comes with a statement credit to cover the application fee for global entry or TSA PreCheck,” she said.
She said some premium cards have trip protection benefits as well to help ease anxiety.
