The findings of a travel survey launched this summer by Finavia, the operator of Helsinki Airport, mapped the attitudes and habits of over 3,000 people from six different countries.
Reponses to the survey were gathered from Denmark, Germany, Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Japan. Helsinki Airport is increasingly serving as a hub for travellers, particularly between Europe and Asia, so Finavia regularly conducts research in order to better understand their needs.
The study identified four basic traveller types; the largest group being “safety seekers” (64%), followed by “enjoyment seekers” (20%), “fast and efficient flyers” (3%) and “habitual travellers” (13%). Out of the six nationalities surveyed, the Japanese had the highest number of safety seekers whereas the highest percentage of enjoyment seekers were Brits.
The travellers surveyed were asked about the characteristics they liked and disliked about airports, proving there are key variations among different nationalities. For example the Brits dislike big and busy hubs, favouring small airports that have good shopping whereas the Japanese were found to favour easily accessible airports.
In addition to examining national differences, the study investigated a range of travellers’ rituals and behaviour, such as purchasing and dining habits. This concluded that one in eight travellers takes a lucky charm with them when flying and 9% admitted to having a ritual involving food, drink or a tax free purchase on every trip.
Currently, nearly half of the passengers departing from Helsinki Airport are non-Finns. In 2012/2013, growth in passenger numbers is expected to derive from Asian destinations such as China and Japan. The research also found that one in three travellers choose their flying routes partly based on the transfer airport. This is of key interest to Finavia as the company is focusing on developing Helsinki Airport to be a smooth and desirable hub by strengthening its position as the leading transfer airport in Northern Europe.
Ville Haapasaari, Airport Director of Helsinki Airport says “By regularly conducting surveys, studying passengers’ attitudes and habits we are able to collect valuable data which guides us in our service development. It is essential that we understand the needs of travellers so that we can better develop our airports and the services they offer to cater to new and current passenger groups.”
The findings of Helsinki Airport’s study are summarized in Smooth Travelling, a publication by Helsinki Airport, which explores the airport experience from different people’s points of view. It features Q&A on the topic of travel with prominent personalities; including Japanese Hollywood actor Koji Yakusho (Babel & Memoirs of a Geisha) and Vanessa Friedman, fashion editor of the Financial Times, as well as personal, behind-the-scenes stories from Helsinki Airport’s staff.
The research findings cited in this report are based on online panel surveys of over 3,000 people. The research was carried out by Cint in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan, Sweden and the United Kingdom in May 2012. The numerical passenger data is based on Helsinki Airport passenger surveys conducted by Statistics Finland and a segmentation study by Finavia and Red Note.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
