A recent survey from Local Insider shows that 1 in 3 Americans are experiencing flight anxiety, and with that anxiousness brewing, 1 in 4 Americans plan on spending less on travel compared to last year. With the current events related to air traffic, it's understandable why some are second-guessing their plans that might've required a flight.
With all the news around accidents in the air, many Americans are forced to be more cautious when planning vacations.
Three tragic airplane crashes in Alaska, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. have raised concerns for travelers across the country. While these events are statistically infrequent, they can undoubtedly heighten anxiety about flying.
During an investor conference about bookings, Delta's CEO Ed Bastian said "consumer confidence and certainty in air travel started to wane a little bit" as safety questions came in.
Kim Kamper-DeMarco, a clinical psychologist currently teaching at Buffalo State University, said these feelings are natural.
“Whenever there's something that's broadcast that kind of is dominant in the news, we often see that that's going to affect people's behavior when we think about things like availability biases,” Kamper-DeMarco said.
That bias is a mental shortcut rooted in our recollection of events. If we remember something, our brains view it as important in decision making.
“When we hear information about accidents happening in the sky, it often will kind of spark our own fear, because we view it as being really common. It takes up much more space in our brain than it otherwise would, and thus that's going to elicit a fear response,” Kamper-DeMarco said.
She notes that “anxiety is a spectrum”, people will always have some levels of anxiety as a way to protect themselves.
With 1 in 3 Americans more anxious about flying and Delta’s CEO even admitting their bookings aren’t doing so well, AAA of Western and Central New York’s Elizabeth Carey saisd as an industry, people are flying high.
“Travel is really continuing to increase this year," said Carey "Numbers are up 40 percent compared to the first quarter of 2024 where people are traveling up to Canada to fly out of the Toronto airport,” Carey said.
And Carey said cancellations are rare.
“For the most part, people are carrying on with their trips,” Carey said.
So, how can flight bookings be doing better with the rise of anxiety around flying?
Kamper-DeMarco said it comes down to analyzing the separation between those who are already not flying and those who will continue to.
“It may still be that those people who weren't flying still aren't flying, but the people who are just flying more than when you feel comfortable in that setting," said Kamper-DeMarco. "You're going to do it more often, because it's something you enjoy.”
In other words, people who experience flight anxiety aren’t the ones booking flights; people who enjoy traveling are just traveling more.
The economy is in a complex state due to recent tariffs and ongoing boycotts. Risk of a recession is plausible. Americans are spending less and saving more according to the U.S Department of Commerce. The report showed consumer spending recovered last month after January's sharpest decline in four years, the increase was mainly due to rising prices.
People are more cautious about flying, and many are avoiding it, but those with a love for travel are continuing to fly. Delta Airlines is seeing a lack of sales, most likely because of a recent crash involving its plane.
Americans are spending money differently as their priorities change, but travel isn't being put on the back burner for the time being.