Washington, DC, March 31, 2026 – A new Ipsos poll finds that two-thirds of Americans believe the travel experience has gotten worse in the past year. Those who have flown in the past two months share this sentiment, with half of recent fliers reporting that they have experienced flight delays.
The survey also finds that most Americans are familiar with delays at airports, lack of Security Administration (TSA), and the deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at airports. More than half say they are likely to avoid air travel in the next six months, and a third of Americans say the same about postponing or canceling trips they already have booked.
Detailed investigations
1. Americans overwhelmingly believe the travel experience has worsened in the past year.
- Two-thirds of Americans say the travel experience at US airports is worse than last year. Twenty-eight percent say it’s about the same, while only 2% say it’s better.
- Among those who have flown in the past two months, 65% believe that the current experience is worse than a year ago.
- Similarly, half of Americans who flew in the past two months reported travel delays due to airlines, while 20% experienced delays due to airport security. Almost one in ten people had to postpone (8%) or cancel (10%) a flight.
2. Most Americans are familiar with recent events at airports across the country.
- Sixty-eight percent of Americans are at least somewhat familiar with travel delays at airports across the U.S. A similar percentage are familiar with TSA staffing shortages (66%) and President Trump sending ICE agents to airports to assist TSA officers (66%).
- More Americans oppose (58%) than support (39%) the deployment of ICE agents at US airports. Republicans are more likely to show support than Democrats or independents (78% vs. 4% and 38%, respectively).
3. Just over half of Americans say they would avoid booking air travel because of what they have seen or heard about the current situation at US airports.
- Fifty-four percent say they are likely to avoid booking air travel in the next six months. One in three (34%) who have flown in the past two months also feel this way.
- The same percentage would choose another mode of transport, such as a car or train, rather than flying for a trip (53%), while 33% said they would likely cancel or postpone a trip they had already booked.
- Low-income Americans are more likely to say they will avoid air travel or postpone/cancel a trip than their higher-income counterparts.
About Education
This Ipsos poll was conducted on March 27-29, 2026, by Ipsos using an opportunity based on KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a probability sample of 1,021 adults age 18 or older. The sample includes 163 Americans who have flown to or from a US airport in the past two months, and 865 adults who have flown to or from a US airport in their lifetime.
The lesson was held in English. Data were stratified by gender for age, race and ethnicity, community location, metropolitan area, education, household income, and political party identification. Political party identification data comes from the 2025 NPORS annual survey, with a mid-year adjustment estimated from KnowledgePanel’s pooled surveys that account for changes in party identification over time. Census figures are from the March 2025 supplement of the US Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS).
- Gender (Male, Female) by Age (18–29, 30–44, 45-59 and 60+)
- Race/Hispanic Ethnicity (Non-Hispanic White, Non-Hispanic Black, Other, Hispanic, Hispanic, 2+ Races, Hispanic)
- Education (Below High School, High School, Other College, Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree or higher)
- Population Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West)
- Metropolitan Area (Metro, not Metro)
- Household Income (Under $25,000, $25,000-$49,999, $50,000-$74,999, $75,000-$99,999, $100,000-$149,999, $150,000+)
- Political Party ID (Democrat, Lean Democrat, Republican, Lean Republican, Independent/Other)
Sampling margin of error is the pooled percentage or minus 3.1% at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of error of the sample taking into account the design effect, was 1.05. Sampling error limits are high and results vary based on small samples. In our results report, percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number. As a result, the percentages in a given table column may be slightly higher or lower than 100%. In questions that allow multiple answers, the columns can have a total of more than 100%, depending on the number of different answers given by each respondent.
For more information about this news release, please contact:
Amanda Price
Director, US
Public Affairs
[email protected]
Johnny Sawyer
Chief Research Officer, US
Public Affairs
[email protected]
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