Anxious Flyers Find Takeoff to be Most Stressful Part of Flying According to New Survey

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 10, 2014 — (PRNewswire) —  A new survey, commissioned by All Nippon Airways (ANA) for the U.S. market, has found that 72% of U.S. airline passengers have felt anxious about flying before. The most anxious flyers find takeoff to be the most stress-inducing part of the journey (68%), which is why Japan's largest airline, ANA, developed 'ANA Takeoff Mode', specifically designed to relax and take people's minds off the takeoff. The app can be downloaded for free in the Apple App store here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ana-takeoff-mode/id938772772?ls=1&mt=8.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7388751-ana-launches-new-app-to-relax-passengers-during-takeoff/

The 'ANA Takeoff Mode' app takes the form of a simple but absorbing puzzle where users have to maneuver a ball on screen to collect points, with relaxing music playing in the background. What really makes the app truly unique, however, is that it measures the amplitude and frequency response of the ambient noise inside the aircraft cabin. When the aircraft's engines are at full throttle during takeoff, the audio profile triggers a special animation and message for the user. (The surrounding environment may affect how the app detects takeoff.) 

The puzzle aspect of the game should prove particularly appealing. In the ANA survey, puzzle games ranked second only to listening to music when it came to ways that passengers relaxed while flying (61% of people relax by listening to music; 56% by playing puzzle games). Reading, watching TV and falling asleep came in not far behind (54%, 48% and 46% respectively).

The 'ANA Takeoff Mode' is one of the first smartphone apps to take advantage of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)'s announcement on October 31, 2013 that airlines can safely expand passenger use of Portable Electronic Devices during all phases of flight.

"ANA offers a unique flight experience with staff paying attention to even the smallest detail to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable flight for all our customers. Consideration has gone into every stage of the passenger journey, from our flagship lounges in Tokyo to our award winning 'Connoisseurs' inflight dining experience. Now we hope that the 'ANA Takeoff Mode' will ease and relax flyers, allowing them to enjoy their flight with ANA from the very beginning," said Masaki Yokai, VP Marketing & Sales The Americas.

For more information on the 'ANA Takeoff Mode' please watch the video here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kJgWyxfMUI

Additional key findings from the ANA survey:

• Women are about twice as likely to be anxious about flying
  • Of the subgroup who almost always get anxious about flying, 63% are women, 37% men
• Older people (45 yrs+) are much calmer about flying than younger people (18-44yrs)
  • Of the always anxious group 66% are younger than 45 yrs old
  • Of the calm group 47% are younger than 45 yrs old
• Anxious flyers are most concerned about takeoff (68%), whereas people who get stressed about flying less frequently find the thought of turbulence more anxiety inducing (60%)
• 80% of people surveyed play puzzle games
  • 97% of these people find such games to be relaxing
• 46% of people say they find flying during Thanksgiving or Christmas period more stressful than other times of the year
  • Top reasons for this extra stress are crowded airports (69%) and delayed flights (63%)

 

Information on the survey:
ANA commissioned an online survey of 1,000 air travelers from across the U.S. The survey was fielded from October 29 to November 2, 2014.

About ANA
All Nippon Airways (ANA) is the largest airline in Japan by passenger numbers. Founded in 1952, ANA flies today on 72 international routes and 113 domestic routes with a fleet of about 240 aircraft. ANA offers trans-Pacific connections between Asia through the gateway of Japan and 9 North American destinations namely; New York, Washington D.C, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Vancouver, and Honolulu. ANA Group has 33,000 employees. In 2013, it carried 46 million passengers and generated revenues of 1.6 trillion Japanese yen. ANA has been a core member of Star Alliance since 1999 and has joint-ventures with United Airlines on trans-Pacific and Asia routes and with Lufthansa, Swiss International Airlines and Austrian Airlines on Japan-Europe routes. Its Frequent Flyer Program, ANA Mileage Club, has more than 26 million members. ANA was voted Airline of the Year for 2013 by Air Transport World Magazine, and was awarded five stars in 2013 and 2014 by the world's leading Airline and Airport review site, SKYTRAX. ANA is the launch customer and biggest operator of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

For more information on ANA, visit: www.fly-ana.com

 

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7388751-ana-launches-new-app-to-relax-passengers-during-takeoff/

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SOURCE All Nippon Airways

Contact:

All Nippon Airways For more information, please contact: ANA Public Relations, Jean Saito Email Contact Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Alex Herron Email Contact