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A Money.com.au Study December 2022

About the study

Money.com.au surveyed an independent panel of 1010 Australians to gauge what proportion had, in the last year, experienced travel issues such as cancellations, delays and lost luggage, or booking issues. Respondents were also asked if they plan to change how they travel going forward to avoid such issues.

The pool of survey respondents matches the age and geographical spread of the Australian population.

Questions

Where have Australians travelled to since November 2021?

Money.com.au sought to uncover the proportion of Australians that have travelled domestically or internationally since borders began opening in November 2021. The survey found 61 per cent had travelled since then. Specifically:

50% have travelled domestically
12% have travelled internationally

Have you travelled since November 2021?

Have Australians experienced issues when travelling this year?

Money.com.au asked the 621 survey respondents who had travelled domestically or internationally in the last year if they had experienced any challenges when travelling or when trying to book travel. Respondents could select more than one issue from a list of seven. Nearly half (48 per cent) of respondents had experienced at least one challenge.

29% had experienced delays with flights or other transport
16% have had their flights or other transport delayed
7% had their luggage lost or delayed
6% were slugged with unexpected fees
9% didn’t go ahead booking a trip they were looking forward to due to price hikes
3% didn’t go ahead booking a trip they were looking forward to due to lack of accommodation or flights
6% caught an illness, which impacted their trip

Have you experienced higher prices, disruptions, delays, lost luggage, and/or have you caught an illness while travelling this year?

How does this compare across age groups?

Younger respondents were more likely to have experienced one or more challenges while travelling or booking their travel in the last year. More than half (58 per cent) of under-30s have had to deal with at least one challenge. This compares with:

55% of 31-50-year-olds
34% of over-50s who have had to deal with at least one challenge.

Which age group experiences more delays?

A higher proportion of under-30s respondents experienced delays with flights or other transport, at 33 per cent. This compares with:

30% of 31-50-year-olds
25% of over-50s

Which age group experiences more luggage issues?

A higher proportion of under-30s have also had their luggage delayed or lost when travelling this year.

13% experienced lost or delayed luggage

Compared with:

9% of 31-50-year-olds
3% of over-50s

Which age group has foregone travel due to high costs?

Younger respondents also chose to forego a trip due to higher costs.

12% of under-50s decided not to book a trip due to prices increasing considerably.

This compares with:

4% of over-50s

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Have you experienced any of the following while travelling this year?

How does this compare across the States?

A similar proportion of respondents across the States had experienced at least one travel disruption or challenge when travelling this year. This includes:

53% of South Australians
50% of Victorians
47% of NSW respondents
46% of Queenslanders
44% of West Australians

How do the States compare with delays?

A higher proportion of South Australians experienced delays with flights or other transport this year, at 38 per cent. This compares with:

31% of Queenslanders
30% of Victorians
28 per cent of NSW respondents
17% of West Australians

Response	NSW (%)	VIC (%)	QLD (%)	SA (%)	WA (%)
Yes, delays with flights or other transport	28	30	31	38	17
Yes, cancelled flights or other transport	16	17	16	15	9
Yes, lost or delayed luggage	8	7	4	4	17
Yes, I got slugged with unexpected fees	8	4	4	4	11
Yes, I did not book a trip as prices had increased too much this year	10	7	9	2	9
Yes, I did not book a trip as there was no available accommodation or flight seats	4	4	2	0	22
Yes, I – or a person I travelled with – caught an illness, which impacted our trip	4	7	4	4	7
No	53	50	54	47	56

Will Australians change how they travel to adapt to this new, disruptive travel environment?

Money.com.au also asked respondents if they have changed, or are planning to change, the way they travel to reduce the risk of disruption or higher travel costs. Respondents were presented with six suggested changes. More than half (58 per cent) indicated they would be making changes to their travel.

Specifically:

22% will travel outside of peak periods
12% will take drive holidays rather than flights
8% will take shorter holidays
7% will stay in lower-star, cheaper accommodation
4% will fly with less reputable airlines that they normally wouldn’t choose
4% will also take holidays to lesser-known, or cheaper destinations

Are you changing - or will you change - how you travel to adapt to this new, disruptive travel environment?

How have travel plans changed across the different age groups?

Money.com.au analysed respondents across age groups. Younger respondents are more likely to change their travel plans.

65% of under-30s will, or have already, changed how they will travel

This compares with:

58% of 31-50-year-olds
53% of over-50s

Similar proportions of respondents across age groups plan to travel outside of peak periods. This includes:

26% of under-30s
22% of 31-50-year-olds
20% of over-50s

In contrast, a higher proportion of older respondents are willing to forego flights for drive holidays. This change was chosen by 19 per cent of over-50s, compared with:

10% of 31-50-year-olds
5% of under-30s

Younger respondents, however, are more willing to skimp on accommodation costs by opting for lower-star, cheaper accommodation. This change was chosen by 12 per cent of under-30s and compares with:

9% of 31-50-year-olds
3% of over-50s

Are you changing - or will you change - how you travel to adapt to this new, disruptive travel environment? By age.

How have travel plans changed across the different States?

Money.com.au also analysed responses across the States and found that more NSW respondents will make changes to their travel than any other State. Two thirds (64 per cent) selected a change that they plan to make or have already made. This compares with:

58% of Queenslanders
55% of Victorians
48% of West Australians
42% of South Australians

A higher proportion of NSW respondents indicated they will travel outside of peak periods, at 25 per cent. This compares with:

23% of Queenslanders
21% of Victorians
19% of West Australians
9% of South Australians

NSW respondents were also more likely to opt for a drive holiday to adapt to the new travel environment. Fifteen (15) per cent of NSW respondents indicated they would make this change. This compares with:

14% of Queenslanders
13% of West Australians
11% of South Australians
9% of Victorians

Response	NSW (%)	VIC (%)	QLD (%)	SA (%)	WA (%)
Yes, I will travel outside of peak periods	25	21	23	9	19
Yes, I will stay in lower-star, cheaper accommodation	6	11	5	11	4
Yes, I will fly with less reputable airlines that I wouldn’t normally choose	5	4	2	4	4
Yes, I will take shorter holidays	9	9	9	7	6
Yes, I will take holidays to lesser-known, or cheaper destinations	5	2	5	0	4
Yes, I will take drive holidays rather than flights	15	9	14	11	13
No, I will not change how I travel.	35	44	42	58	50

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