Air Travelers in America: Annual Survey

“Air Travelers in America” is A4A’s annual survey, conducted by Ipsos, collecting vital statistics about air travel. The most recent such poll, conducted January 4-12, 2024, screened a national sample of 3,452 adults (age 18 or older) to identify those who have “ever flown on an airplane” via the probability-based Ipsos KnowledgePanel®. Click here for the March 2024 survey summary: “Air Travelers in America: Key Findings of a Survey Conducted by Ipsos.”

Background

Beginning in the early 1970s, the Air Transport Association of America (now known as Airlines for America) partnered with Gallup to poll the American public, by phone, with respect to air travel. The last such study was conducted in 1998. In late 2015, A4A relaunched the annual survey in partnership with premier online polling firm Ipsos.

Note: Historical survey results suggest that approximately half of the airline trips taken by Americans in the 1970s and 1980s were for business purposes. In recent years, that split has gravitated toward 25-30 percent business and 70-75 percent personal.

Methodology

This survey was partially conducted using the Ipsos KnowledgePanel, the most well-established online probability-based panel that is representative of the adult U.S. population. Panelists are recruited into this invitation-only panel via postal mailings to a random selection of residential addresses. To ensure that non-internet households are included, Ipsos provides an internet-enabled tablet to those who need them. Additional sample was obtained using a non-probability sample with a quota design to increase the overall study sample size and allow for analyses of subpopulation groups of interest.

Historical Survey Results re: Fraction of American Population That Flew