With the summer travel season well underway, a large swath of passengers report experiencing travel trouble, according to a new survey by Bankrate.
Nearly 8 in 10 travelers saw a slew of travel woes, said Ted Rossman, a senior industry analyst at the financial services company.
“The most common is high prices, followed by long waits,” he said. “And then shortly behind that are things like poor customer service and hard to find availability.”
Rossman blames soaring inflation rates and high gas prices for the issues. They’re taking a heavy toll on airlines.
“Airlines have made so many cutbacks that they’re not able to keep up,” he said.
As a result, more people are scaling back their summer travel plans. Roughly 7 in 10 travelers said they are changing their itinerary.
“Between high costs, recession worries and some unpleasant travel experiences, all of this is adding up to some people starting to pull back,” Rossman said.
Except one group: younger travelers.
Bankrate’s survey discovered millennials dealt with at least one travel-related issue, but they still plan to take to the skies or hit the road.
“This indicates the social nature of young adults, this whole, ‘You only live once, get out and explore the world,'” Rossman said. “They also may be less encumbered with responsibilities, like kids and full-time jobs.”
Bankrate conducted the survey back in April. Rossman said the one-two punch of high inflation and gas prices may ease in the coming month. That means travel issues could dwindle, too.
“All of this is leading to some pullbacks,” he said. “So maybe summer of this year is the peak?”
