Less Stress On Horizon For Airline Passengers (NAPSA)—The good news for holiday travelers is that carriers who use the latest information technology can reduce their stress and make traveling a lot easier and moreefficient. According to a new consumer survey from Amadeus, a leading technology provider to the travel industry, and research firm Leflein Associates, Americans can count on facing a variety of stressors when traveling by air this holiday season. Whetherit’s overcrowded flights, missed connections, long check-in lines or random security searches, Americans will need extra time and patience to get to their destinations this holiday season. But thanks to new technology, relief may be on the way. “While many stressors such as weather delays and the detested middle seat will not disappear, new technologies are on the way that will help airlines alleviate many of the hassles associated with air travel,” said Robert Buckman,air travel futurist and director for Amadeus North America. Surveysays...stressful Of the 1,000 consumers surveyed about their biggest gripes in air travel: * 70 percent said the biggest gripe they have about air travel is the lack of room between airplane seats; * 55 percent complained about flight delays; * 41 percent griped over waiting in lines; * 37 percent said lost luggage was a concern. By far one of the biggest causes of travel stress uncovered by the Amadeus survey (73 percent) was AIRLINE INTEREST IS SOARING in new technology that makes travel easier for passengers. missed flight connections. Sixtyone percent ranked being stuck in the middle seat their biggest complaint, followed closely by 59 percent who said it would be sitting next to someonesick. Lessstressis on the horizon According to Buckman, new technologies are on the way that will help airlines minimize the stress of air travel for their passengers in the future. Several major airlines are in the process of implementing new cutting-edge technology that will allow them to better serve their customers’ needs, transport passengers more efficiently and streamline their operations. “What’s most exciting about this new technology is that it will help the airline provide better, faster and moreefficient service to their customers across their entire travel experience from booking to baggage,” said Buckman. Buckmansaid the new technologies will allow for such advancements as automatic passenger rebooking when a missed flight connection is anticipated or making sure that passengers can sit next to their traveling companions.
