Press release -
Airport lounges ease airport stress recommends CPP
According to new findings from life assistance company CPP[j1] , four in ten (42%) people say airports make them feel stressed and 23%2 find the prospect of getting on to their flight as stressful, if not more so, than moving house. The problem has become so bad that one in ten (9%) of us are now avoiding flying altogether as a result.
But it’s no surprise that Britons are worried about making it to the gate on time – over 2.9 million3 travellers have missed a flight in the past, while one in five of us having had to run to the gate with minutes to spare.
Studies have shown that the airport experience is having significant physiological effects on a traveller’s anxiety levels – one previous experiment using Heathrow airport saw holidaymakers’ heart-rates rise to a level equivalent to doing intense exercise4. This was supported by CPP’s research[j2] , which revealed that holidaymakers, who had visited more than one airport, cited Heathrow as the most stressful, followed by Gatwick and Manchester.
According to Psychologist David Moxon, airports are inherently stressful places. Moxon comments, “Humans are wired to experience stress in situations where many feel out of control – and airports, where you have to follow instructions that are likely change at the last minute, and procedures that are unpredictable, lead many to react with a stress response. There is also what is known as an accumulation effect, resulting from other anxieties that we may be harbouring.
If you head to the airport having worried about waking up on time, or what you’ve left behind at work, the airport itself will seem more stressful as a result.”
Travellers have however come up with ways to make airport more pleasant – popular suggestions include less queuing, and cheaper and nicer food and more seats. 40% of travellers say a quiet environment would help reduce their stress levels, with 35% recommending access to an airport lounge to calm their airport anxiety[j3] .
Joanne Gibbons, from CPP says, “It’s a real shame that holidaymakers are experiencing such high levels of stress during what should be the beginning of a period of rest and relaxation. But rather than turning away from airports altogether we’d urge families to have a strategy for staying calm prior to boarding – by checking in online, minimising the amount of luggage they check-in and taking advantage of airport lounge[s4] opportunities.”
CPP’s tips for avoiding airport stress:
1. Choose your airport carefully. Bigger airports tend to be busier and more stressful so consider flying to a smaller, local airport to reduce transfer times and hassle.
2. Do as much as you can online beforehand. If you can, why not check in online before you arrive at the airport? This will reduce the amount of time spent queuing when you arrive – just remember to print off your boarding pass.
3. Minimise parking time. Airport car-parks are big so a good idea is to drop off all your passengers at check in leaving only one person to park the car.
4. Check in minimal luggage. With airlines increasingly charging for checked-in luggage, you can avoid queues and save cash by taking carry-on luggage where possible, especially for short breaks. This means you can go straight through to security and save time on the other side.
5. Opt for fast-track security. Some larger airports now allow passengers to pay for the opportunity to fast-track through the security gates. This can speed up the airport process and give you more time relaxing on the other side.
6. Take advantage of airport lounges worldwide[j5] . Airport lounges are a great way to relax and get that holiday feeling before boarding the plane – you’ll be guaranteed a seat and get complimentary snacks. CPP’s Airport Angel [j6] AirText service will even text you when your flight is boarding to ensure you get there on time.
7. Have a boarding strategy. If you have pre-booked seats it may be worth boarding last, meaning you can spend longer in the lounge and less time queuing at the gate. If you haven’t got pre-booked seats, think about getting priority boarding or leaving a little more time at gate to get to the front of the queue.
Research Methodology
ICM interviewed a random sample of 2005 adults aged 18+ online between 6-8 May 2011. Surveys were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Further information at www.icmresearch.co.uk
1. According to research conducted for CPP by ICM, 9% agreed with the statement “I don't fly because I dislike the airport experience”. The total adult (18+) population in Great Britain that has been through an airport is 43,678,000. 9% of these equates to 3,979,000 people or close to four million.
2. According to the ICM research, 8% of Brits who have been through an airport find being in an airport more stressful than moving house and 15% find it at least as stressful as moving house. Therefore a total of 23% find the airport as stressful if not more stressful than moving house.
3. According to the ICM research, 7% of Brits who have been through an airport have missed a flight in the past, this equates to 2.9 million people
4. According to a study conducted by Chartered Psychologist Dr David Lewis in 2007. Four passengers travelling through Heathrow had chest monitors fitted to record increases in heart rate, pressure pads attached to their arms to monitor changes in blood pressure and sensors were attached to their finger-tips to measure changes in physiological stress. Dr Lewis’ experiment showed passenger heart rates peaked at four times their resting levels and physiological stress levels exceeded those recorded amongst Formula 1 racing drivers or free-fall parachutists.
5. According to data sourced from flightontime.info and collated by the Civil Aviation Authority, available at http://www.flightontime.info/summer2010/index.html charter flights were delayed by an average of 29 minutes in summer 2010.
[j2]Link to: http://www.cpp.co.uk/
[j3]Link to: http://www.cpp.co.uk/airport-lounge/
[s4]Link to http://www.cpp.co.uk/airport-lounge/
Topics
- Travels
Categories
- airport lounges
- airport lounge access
- airport lounge
- cpp
Regions
- England
The CPPGroup Plc
The CPPGroup Plc (CPP) is an international marketing services business offering bespoke customer management solutions to multi-sector business partners designed to enhance their customer revenue, engagement and loyalty, whilst at the same time reducing cost to deliver improved profitability.
This is underpinned by the delivery of a portfolio of complementary Life Assistance products, designed to help our mutual customers cope with the anxieties associated with the challenges and opportunities of everyday life.
Whether our customers have lost their wallets, been a victim of identity fraud or looking for lifestyle perks, CPP can help remove the hassle from their lives leaving them free to enjoy life. Globally, our Life Assistance products and services are designed to simplify the complexities of everyday living whether these affect personal finances, home, travel, personal data or future plans. When it really matters, Life Assistance enables people to live life and worry less.
Established in 1980, CPP has 11 million customers and more than 200 business partners across Europe, North America and Asia and employs 2,300 employees who handle millions of sales and service conversations each year.
In 2010, Group revenue was £325.8 million, an increase of more than 12 per cent over the previous year.
In March 2010, CPP debuted on the London Stock Exchange (LSE).
What We Do:
CPP provides a range of assistance products and services that allow our business partners to forge closer relationships with their customers. We have a solution for many eventualities, including:
- Insuring our customers' mobile phones against loss, theft and damage
- Providing assistance to cancel and reorder customer’s payment cards should these be lost or stolen
- Providing assistance and protection if a customer's keys are lost or stolen
- Providing advice, and assistance to help customers in the event their identity is fraudulently used
- Assisting customers with their travel needs be it an emergency (for example lost passport), or basic translation service
- Monitoring the credit status of our customers
- Provision of packaged services to business partners’ customers
For more information on CPP click on www.cppgroupplc.com
CPPGroup plc