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According to a recent Harris On Demand survey on behalf of NerdWallet, 44% of Americans plan to take a summer vacation this year (June-August) that will require a flight or a hotel stay. Each traveler expects to pay $3,861 (on average) for their trip expenses. If you do the math, that’s 117 million Americans, spending an estimated $452 billion just on their flights and hotels.
While budget is a top consideration for many summer vacation travelers, nine-in-10 (91%) are willing to pay more to enjoy certain travel perks. In terms of flight-perks, these include – paying more for more convenient flights (30%), seat selection (26%), seats with extra legroom (25%), and Wi-Fi on flights (20%).
Americans’ willingness to pay up for a better travel experience is good news for United Airlines, who has heavily invested in improving their customers’ in-flight experience.
Want to learn more about the travel industry? Check out our Travel & Hospitality: Industry Snapshot report for trends and brand rankings.
Better Experiences For All Passengers
United has been working hard to improve customers’ on-board experience, looking to stand out among the airlines for providing a superior travel experience.
The airline is upgrading its in-flight entertainment options, adding more personal seatback TV screens and increasing internet speeds. In March, United began to rollout Starlink Wi-Fi, which provides internet at speeds 50 times faster than what passengers previously enjoyed on United flights.
Paying Up For Luxury Travel
Beyond these universal improvements, United has been steadily expanding its upselling opportunities for customers who value a more comfortable flying experience. According to the Wall Street Journal, demand for United’s premium seats is growing even faster than demand for non-premium seats. Budget-conscious travelers need not worry – United continues to offer basic economy options for travelers who are happy to fly without any extra bells and whistles.
This May, United released a sneak peek into its new business class and premium economy seats. United’s updated premium economy sections will feature privacy dividers and wireless charging stations. One step further up the luxury ladder, United’s new Polaris business class seats will have updated finishes and sliding privacy doors. Some planes will even have Polaris Studio Suites that offer 25% more space than the standard business-class seat. These passengers will also enjoy luxurious perks such as a caviar course, exclusive meal options, and an enhanced amenity kit.
“We already deliver a superior international experience and fly to the most places across the Atlantic and Pacific – these new innovations provide a more premium experience overall, give customers even more reasons to choose United, and set our airline up to grow into the next decade and beyond. We never stand still and are always looking for more ways to set ourselves apart from other carriers.” – Andrew Nocella, United Airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer
First Quarter Performance Soars Along With A Boost In Customer Satisfaction
In Q1, the airline’s reported customer satisfaction score jumped 10% year-over-year – hitting record highs for pilot communication, check-in experience, and inflight entertainment.
United Airlines’ high customer satisfaction is also evident in the airline’s first-quarter performance data. Earnings performance was the best that it’s been in five years, with $478 million in profit. The airline cites success from high demand across premium cabins, international flights, and their loyalty programs. On average, United flew more than 450K customers per day.
We also see United’s first quarter success reflected in data from QuestBrand by The Harris Poll.
United Airlines’ Purchase Intent Climbs in 2025
QuestBrand tracks how consumers think about and value the United Airlines brand through its brand equity score. Brand equity is an average of four components (familiarity, quality, consideration, and momentum) that quantifies the value consumers see in a brand at a particular moment in time.
The graph below tracks a single component of United’s brand equity – consumers’ interest in purchasing from United (consideration) – throughout the second half of 2024 and the first few months of 2025.
United Airlines’ Positive Purchase Intent (Consideration) – Households with Kids – 12 Week Trended Average
QuestBrand. 6/1/24-4/30/25. Base: General population of U.S. adults, n=4,817. Base: Households with kids under the age of 18, n=1,736.
During the first few months of 2025, we see significant growth in consumers’ interest to purchase from United Airlines, especially among families with kids. This could reflect families’ interest in booking summer vacation travel with United and corresponds with the airline’s very successful first quarter profits.
Airlines are increasingly turning to a “pay for the premium amenities that you want to enjoy” system, rather than solely offering a few standard ticket options. As United, and other airlines, further allow customers to personalize their travel experience, we will continue to track how this impacts airlines’ brand equity and consumers’ purchase intent.
