For almost a year now, many travellers have been grounded. Whether due to regulatory constraints at various levels, or a psychological barrier linked to the health risk, they have all had to review their priorities and reconsider whether or not their travel, particularly by air, is imperative. The Pegasus Chair looked at the new habits of the French public and their new relationship with air travel. The study "Air transport: the impact of COVID-19 on the behaviour of the French". published at the beginning of December is based on the testimonies of a thousand respondents (1010 to be precise), interviewed between 12 and 19 October.
Whereas 63% of the French had carried out at least one flight during 2019, the figure has fallen to 20% over the five months following the first confinement, from May to October 2020. Among these diehards, the business travellers logically occupy a predominant place. The proportion of mobile professionals among passengers has almost doubled, rising from 10% to 19%. Especially since the tightening of travel policies has not really had an impact on business travellers: only 14% of those surveyed said they had travelled less because of a "travel ban". lower travel budget. The substitution ofother means of transport (31%), fear of fall ill (40%), and above all to be put into quarantine (66%) have had a much greater impact.
Are companies going to ask their sales staff and executives to replace their train and plane journeys with virtual meetings?
Another downward factor for air travel, and even more so for business customers, is the videoconferencing. According to the results of the study published by the Chaire Pégase, 17% of respondents have replaced their air travel with a videoconference. This figure is all the more significant because it concerns not just the sample of business travellers, but the entire panel. " The year 2020 bears witness to a very strong acceleration in the use of videoconferencingmainly as part of the teleworking. The number of users of the Zoom application has risen sharply in recent months. "The authors of the report emphasise this, and question the long-term impact of these new habits. " Many observers of the airline industry are asking questions about the long-term consequences of videoconferencing (Skype, MS Teams, Zoom, etc.) on business travel. In other words, will companies be asking their sales staff and executives to replace their train and plane journeys with virtual meetings? ". On this point, the Chaire Pégase analysis calls for caution, citing contrasting results: " if certain meetings can be replaced by other meetings. virtual meetings, videoconferencing is not suitable for all situations. More specifically, business travel by air is relevant for meetings that require real communication, such as business discussions, negotiations, presentations to clients and participation in events. Conversely, videoconferencing is suitable for exchanging information, for project monitoring meetings requiring a lower level of communication ". In addition, based on a publication by Denstadli, the authors of the report point out that " the managers who make the most use of videoconferencing are also those who fly the most for business reasonsmaximising both virtual and real communication opportunities ".
