Travelers Serious About Air Safety

NEWTON, Mass., Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor®, the world's largest travel community, today announced the results of its airline safety awareness survey of more than 2,100 U.S. respondents, conducted from January 16 - January 20.

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Sixty-eight percent of U.S. respondents said they frequently pay attention to the in-flight safety presentation--30 percent said they always do, 38 percent said they often do. Of the 32 percent who said they rarely or never pay attention to the in-flight safety presentation, 81 percent said it is because they already know it by heart.

Fifty percent of travelers surveyed said they have read the seat-back instruction card in the past, but following last week's "Miracle on the Hudson," 62 percent are more likely to read it in the future.

Seventy-three percent of respondents said they always check the locations of the exits on the plane, while 20 percent often do.

Twelve percent of travelers avoid booking in the emergency exit row because they don't want the responsibility of opening the doors and assisting the crew in an emergency.

Sixty-seven percent of respondents said that during a flight, they feel prepared in the event of an emergency. Seventy-five percent of travelers believe they would know what to do in the event of a water landing.

Fifteen percent of travelers said they have experienced an emergency landing. Five percent of travelers said they have been on a flight where the oxygen masks were deployed, and two percent have had to pull the life jacket out from under their seat.

Ninety-one percent said they always keep their seat belt fastened for the journey.

Thirty-one percent of travelers said they had concerns about "bird strikes," even before the "Miracle on the Hudson."

According to survey respondents, the two best ways to recognize the heroic efforts of the US Airways pilot and crew are with monetary compensation, and medals of honor.

"The events of last week gave us all--even frequent flyers-- a renewed awareness of the importance of airline safety precautions and procedures. It's clear that the majority of travelers are paying attention," said Michele Perry, vice president of global communications for TripAdvisor.

About TripAdvisor Media Network

TripAdvisor® Media Network, operated by TripAdvisor, LLC, attracts more than 32 million monthly visitors* across 12 popular travel brands: TripAdvisor®, www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.travel-library.com, www.travelpod.com and www.virtualtourist.com. TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 25 million monthly visitors*, nine million registered members and 20 million reviews and opinions. Featuring real advice from real travelers, TripAdvisor-branded sites cover 300,000+ hotels and attractions and operate in the U.S. (http://www.tripadvisor.com), the U.K. (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk), Ireland (http://www.tripadvisor.ie), France (http://www.tripadvisor.fr), Germany (http://www.tripadvisor.de), Italy (http://www.tripadvisor.it), Spain (http://www.tripadvisor.es), India (http://www.tripadvisor.in) and Japan (http://www.tripadvisor.jp). TripAdvisor® Media Network provides travel suppliers with graphical advertising opportunities and a cost-per-click marketing platform. Collectively, the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network have won hundreds of awards and accolades from press and industry worldwide. TripAdvisor and the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network are operating companies of Expedia, Inc. .

TripAdvisor is a registered trademark of TripAdvisor LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix, July 2008

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SOURCE: TripAdvisor

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