“High Fliers Survey” reveals inside tips on travel heading into the summer

Summer is certainly an exciting time for the leisure traveler but can often be stressful for the business traveler as lines are longer and filled with less experienced travelers. Plus there are fewer choices when it comes to flight availability.

In light of this, I thought I’d share Expedia’s High Fliers’ Survey, as reported in the Wall Street Journal. Perhaps their inside tips can help make your summer travel season a bit more enjoyable.

Some of America’s most beloved airports also rank among the most despised: both Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) and Chicago’s O’Hare International (ORD) topped the list of favorite and least favorite airports. New York-area airports fared poorly; both John F. Kennedy (JFK) and LaGuardia (LGA) made the least favorite top five, while Newark Liberty International (EWR) was cited as offering the worst food and beverage options. JFK did crack the top five among “Best Food & Beverage,” however. The 2014 High Fliers’ choices include:

Favorite Airports:

1. Atlanta (ATL)
2. Denver (DEN)
3. Chicago (ORD)
4. Dallas (DFW)
5. Orlando (MCO)

Least Favorite Airports:

1. Atlanta (ATL)
2. Chicago (ORD)
3. Houston (IAH – Bush)
4. New York (JFK)
5. New York (LGA)

Best Food & Beverage:

1. Atlanta (ATL)
2. Chicago (ORD)
3. Dallas (DFW)
4. New York (JFK)
5. San Francisco (SFO)

Worst Food & Beverage:

1. Los Angeles (LAX)
2. New York (LGA)
3. Atlanta (ATL)
4. Las Vegas (LAS)
5. New York (EWR)

Business or Pleasure?

63% of High-Fliers said that going on vacation is more important now than it was two years ago. Las Vegas, New York and San Francisco share top billing as stellar destinations for food and drink, and rank highly for serious travelers as both business and leisure destinations.

Best Destinations for Leisure:

1. Las Vegas, NV
2. Hawaii (The Big Island)
3. San Francisco, CA
4. New York, NY
5. Orlando, FL

Best Destinations for Business:

1. New York, NY
2. Chicago, IL
3. Washington, DC
4. Las Vegas, NV
5. San Francisco, CA

Best Destinations for Food & Drink:

1. New York, NY
2. Las Vegas, NV
3. Chicago, IL
4. San Francisco, CA
5. New Orleans, LA

When asked the most important factors when making travel arrangements or while traveling, High-Fliers cited:

1. Hotel room cleanliness (89%)
2. Good customer service (81%)
3. Privacy of online information (80%)
4. Saving money for leisure travel (73%)
5. Free wireless internet (63%)
6. Hotel location (66%)
7. Loyalty programs (42%)
8. Ability to manage travel itineraries via mobile device (32%)
9. Ability to get travel alerts on mobile device (31%)
10. Hotel Upgrade Option (28%)