New research into the behaviour of travellers dealing with anxiety while travelling has revealed the best and worst places in an airport for those who find the intense nature of an airport challenging.
Almost half of the travellers surveyed by PriorityPass said that baggage collection was the most stressful part of the airport experience, and an even larger number listed worrying about losing luggage as their biggest cause of stress.
PriorityPass - a company that offers airport lounge passes around the world - found that travel anxiety can kick in before you've even left your home. The possibility of being stuck in traffic and missing your flight was named as a cause of stress by 63 percent of respondents.
One in 10 of those people say they have missed their flight in the past.
The top 10 most stressful moments at the airport:
- Baggage collection - 48.95 percent
- Passing security - 46.57 percent
- Transfers (waiting) - 46.57 percent
- Checking in - 43.72 percent
- Packing for your holiday - 42.62 percent
- Travelling to the airport - 42.27 percent
- Getting to the boarding gate - 38.49 percent
- Arrival at the airport - 38.37 percent
- During the flight landing - 35.17 percent
- Storing your hand luggage - 33.72 percent
Despite the line of formal, authoritative uniforms of the customs area, the survey results reported this was the second most stressful area of an airport, with baggage collection being the most stressful.
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Boarding the aircraft and finding your seat, along with the flight itself, appear much further down the list.
Use it or lose it:
By far, the biggest concern for anxious travellers is losing their luggage, which placed higher up the list than losing their children.
What travellers are most worried about losing:
- Luggage - 61 percent
- Passport - 57 percent
- Child/Children - 41 percent
Avoid the noise:
The busiest part of an airport is apparently the duty-free shopping area, followed by coffee shops, restaurants, bars, clubs and retail stores. So if you're wanting a bit of quiet time, there are two specific locations revealed in the research to be popular for those who prefer a bit of down time - the spa and the lounge.
They're not the cheapest options, so perhaps the easiest solution is to find a nice sunny window in a non-crowded area, take a seat and look forward to the relaxing holiday ahead.
Newshub.
