NEW YORK—Despite the encouraging traveler volumes seen in many markets in 2024, travelers continue to be impacted by a range of frustrations while on a journey, according to Amadeus’ latest U.S. traveler survey, Friction Removed. The research finds that while delays, planning, cost, and the airport experience are among the top concerns, there is no single cause of distress, with each traveler experiencing friction differently.
When asked where friction originates while on a trip, U.S. travelers cite top causes of distress and concern as:
- Dealing with delays/cancellations (68 percent)
- The combined cost of traveling (50 percent)
- Coordinating travel between multiple people (47 percent)
- Navigating security and border control at an airport (46 percent)
- Finding suitable accommodations (38 percent)
However, when segmented by type of traveler, business travelers generally experienced more friction than those traveling for leisure. For example, higher numbers of business travelers cite comparing prices across sites (44 percent against 39 percent), understanding fees and taxes (42 percent against 36 percent), and finding suitable accommodation options (45 percent against 33 percent) more distressing than leisure travelers.
Further differences were identified when comparing different age demographics, income levels, and familiarity with traveling. For example, a surprising 49 percent of Gen Z travelers said finding the correct routes and schedule for a trip is distressing, compared to only 35 percent of those aged 65+.
It’s clear that technology can have the biggest impact in overcoming the gaps that currently exist in the traveler experience. When asked how helpful technology is at reducing travel-related distress, mobile apps for planning (89 percent), automatic rebooking for delays, digital bag tracking tags, integrated travel booking across airlines and hotels, and fully digital identification and travel documents (all 86 percent) were cited as useful by most travelers.
Rajiv Rajian, executive vice president and chief commercial officer, Americas, Travel, Amadeus, said, “We are focused on making the travel experience better for everyone, everywhere. By delving deeper into the root causes of U.S. traveler frustrations, we can explore ways to overcome them, and technology has a big part to play. Whether it is biometrics, mobile apps, digital traveler identification, disruption management, or other applications, we believe there are opportunities to deploy technology to further relieve distress and create more seamless journeys.”
Friction Removed research also points to a number of situations where travelers want more human interaction. Leisure travelers sought the human touch at:
- Airport security and border control (44 percent)
- Hotel and accommodation check-in and check-out (43 percent)
Leisure travelers also see a role for human input when it comes to planning almost any type of journey, led by:
- Family trips (where 47 percent of respondents want more human interaction)
- Accessibility-focused trips (47 percent)
- Cruise (46 percent)
- Solo (43 percent)
- Group (40 percent)
Robert Buckman, senior vice president, solution consulting, Amadeus, said, “Technology can make a significant impact in overcoming travel friction and remains our unwavering mission. Amadeus’ move to the cloud enables greater collaboration around innovation focused on improving the end-to-end traveler experience. By innovating with our customers and partners—including airports, hoteliers, travel sellers, airlines, payments, and corporations—and leveraging data orchestration across the trip lifecycle, together we can help breakdown silos across the travel ecosystem that today often stand in the way of seamless travel experiences.”
