New research by Saga Holidays shows that, when booking a holiday, flights from regional airports are the preferred option for the over 50s.
In a poll of more than 10,300 over 50s, 62% of respondents had flown from regional airports in the past 3 years and when rating these by experience, as very good or good, the three that came out on top were Doncaster Sheffield Airport (90%), Exeter Airport (88%) and Newcastle International Airport (88%).
Only 1 in 5 said they would rather fly from larger airports, including London Gatwick and Heathrow and 51% said they prefer to fly from regional airports, with 46% overall stating they even would pay more for the convenience.
The research went on to reveal that over half of respondents would change airline in order to fly from their preferred regional airport. Furthermore 1 in 4 would not book a holiday package from a travel company if it didn’t offer flights from their regional airport and 1 in 5 would change their destination altogether.
The top reasons for opting for regionals were; they were closer to home (88%) and were less busy (73%). The Saga generations also showed their travel savvy nature with 1 in 3 saying they chose regionals as they offered cheaper parking.
- Over half of over 50s said they prefer to fly from regional airports
- 1 in 4 would not book a package holiday if it did not offer flights from their regional airport
- Exeter Airport in the top three for customer experience
See more: Saga Holidays
