Travelers are on edge, and rightfully so. Thousands of paying customers have been stranded, lining the perimeters of airports in makeshift sleeping bags, only to discover that a couple of computer glitches were to blame. The effects are palpable. According to a survey conducted by Qualtrics on behalf of Sungard AS, over a third of travelers (34 percent) would not book with an airline again if they’ve experienced a major, non-weather related issue with that airline that severely altered their travel plans.
For repeat offenders, it’s even worse: 65 percent of travelers surveyed said they wouldn’t fly with an airline that had experienced many technical problems in a short time frame that led to widespread delays and canceling of flights.
What can airlines take away from this? Weather delays are understandable, but IT-related delays and cancellations are not. In fact, many of their customers see this as an unforgivable offense.