May 21, 2008

Opinions of frequent flyers to be announced; summer travel forecast discouraging

Dean Headley and Brent Bowen, co-authors of the Airline Quality Rating, will announce the first national AQR Frequent Flyer Survey at 10 a.m. CDT Thursday, May 22. The news conference in Wichita will be held in the Morrison Hall boardroom. Headley is associate professor and chair of the department of marketing in the W. Frank Barton School of Business. Information about consumer sentiment toward current air travel will be revealed. The researchers also will discuss the upcoming summer travel season and project what airline passengers should expect during this busy time.

The survey has more than 5,000 participants and represents less than +/- 2 percentage points of error.

According to Headley and Bowen, the flying public is fed up. They are demanding accountability, which is the purpose of the flyer survey.

Additional information to the national survey will include:

- Data request from a member of Congress who sponsors the Airline Passenger Bill of Rights legislation
- The launch of the second phase of the national Frequent Flyer Survey
- AQR data that will give a glimpse into the summer travel season
- The establishment of the AQR Quarterly Report presented by AQR Aero Inc.