As Cost of Jet Fuel Continues to Soar, More Americans Concerned With Costs (64%) and Delays (55%) than Terrorism (54%) When Flying

New York, New York - As the price of jet fuel continues to soar to new heights, a new Ipsos Public Affairs poll conducted on behalf of Access America has revealed that more Americans are `concerned' (39% very/25% somewhat) with the costs of air travel (64%) than are `concerned' with delays (55%, 31% very/24% somewhat) or even terrorism (54%, 30% very/24% somewhat).

The poll also reveals that Americans are `concerned' about a number of other things when it comes to flying, including baggage issues like loss or delay (53%, 30% very/22% somewhat), fewer flights to choose from (42%, 18% very/24% somewhat), on board comfort (42%, 16% very/26% somewhat) and airline bankruptcies (41%, 20% very/21% somewhat).

Despite being concerned about inconveniences like delays, lost baggage, or airline bankruptcies, only one in ten (12%) soon to be travelers are `considering the purchase of travel insurance' for their next upcoming trip.

But with nearly one half (47%) indicating that they plan on traveling within the next three months, and with 36% of that travel being by plane, many Americans might be leaving themselves susceptible to unexpected costs while traveling by not purchasing insurance, especially since 76% of Americans say they primarily travel for leisure, not business (13%).

Further, one in ten (11%) Americans say they have had to unexpectedly cancel their travel plans in the last year. Among those that have had to cancel, leading causes include illness (25%), family issues and emergencies (23%), financial concerns (21%), having to work (20%), and inclement weather (9%).

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted August 11-18, 2008. For the survey, a nationally representative sample of 2006 Americans were interviewed by telephone via Ipsos' U.S. Telephone Express omnibus. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate within 1772.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire population of adults in the U.S. been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/gender composition reflects that of the actual U.S. population according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Women More Concerned Than Men When it Comes to Various Aspects of Air Travel...

The data also reveals some interesting gender differences when it comes to the concerns that Americans have when it comes to air travel. The following outlines some of these differences:

• Women (70%) are more likely than men (57%) to be `concerned' with costs, including ticket prices, baggage fees, etc.
• Women (58%) have a higher propensity than men (51%) to be `concerned' with delays resulting in missed connections and lost vacation time.
• Women (61%) are much more likely than men (47%) to be `concerned' about terrorism.
• Women (56%) are more likely than men (49%) to be `concerned' with baggage issues, including loss and delay.
• Women (45%) are more inclined than men (39%) to be `concerned' about fewer flights to choose from and the onboard comfort and amenities that airlines are currently offering.
• Women (45%) are also more likely than men (36%) to be `concerned' about airline bankruptcies.

Generally speaking, middle-aged Americans appear to be more concerned about each of the above aspects of flying than are their older or younger counterparts. Perhaps understandably so, Americans living in the Northeast (60%) are more likely than those living in the Midwest (54%) the West (54%) or the South (52%) to be concerned about terrorism.

For more information on this news release, please contact: Sean Simpson Research Manager Ipsos Reid Public Affairs (416) 572-4474 [email protected]

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They help clients create long-term relationships with their customers, stakeholders or other constituencies. Ipsos member companies offer expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research, as well as forecasting, modeling, and consulting and offers a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and online research products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered by advanced analytics and methodologies. The company was founded in 1975 and has been publicly traded since 1999. In 2007, Ipsos generated global revenues of e927.2 million ($1.27 billion U.S.).Visit www.ipsos.com to learn more about Ipsos offerings and capabilities.