A new survey of 1,000 American air travelers tells a story most of us already feel in our bones: summer travel this year is going to be a lot. More time at the airport, more fees, more uncertainty, and a growing sense that the experience is just, well, not fun anymore.
We commissioned this research because we wanted to understand what travelers are actually going through, and what we found confirmed what we hear from our customers every day.
People Are Showing Up Earlier Than Ever
On average, travelers say they plan to arrive nearly two hours (116 minutes) earlier than usual for their summer flights. Nearly 4 in 10 are budgeting two or more extra hours. And that’s not anxiety talking, it’s experience. Respondents reported their last trip through an airport took an average of 76 minutes just to get from the entrance to the gate.
Gen X travelers are bracing for the worst, planning to add 125 minutes of buffer. Baby Boomers aren’t far behind at 122. Even the comparatively relaxed Millennials are building in 106 extra minutes.
Think about that for a second. Before you even board a plane, you may be spending three or four hours of your day just navigating the airport. That’s not a summer travel day—that’s a part-time job.
The Bag Battle Is Defining Summer Travel
When we asked travelers what they dread most about upcoming trips, long lines topped the list at 61%, followed by delays and cancellations at 57%. But here’s what stands out: once you add up all the luggage-related stressors—surprise bag fees (42%), lost or misplaced luggage (33%), and having a carry-on gate-checked (33%)—bag anxiety collectively affects around three in four travelers.
Lines and delays are frustrating. But luggage stress is everywhere, and it’s getting worse.
That’s not a coincidence. 81% of travelers expect airlines to tighten carry-on rules and raise checked bag fees over the next 12 months. That’s a near-consensus that crosses age groups, genders, and regions. People have watched fees creep up year after year, and they’re no longer surprised. They’ve just accepted it as the new normal.
Travelers Are Ready to Think Differently
Here’s the finding that really stood out to us: 59% of travelers say they’d be willing to ship their luggage tracked and insured directly to their destination rather than checking it at the airport.
Millennials lead the charge at 65%. Even among Baby Boomers, often the most skeptical of new approaches, 45% are open to it. And the appetite is highest among the exact travelers who are most worried about bag fees and carry-on gate-checks.
That makes sense. When you’re dreading the bag drop, dreading the fees, dreading whether your carry-on will actually make it on the plane, you start looking for a better way.
That’s Exactly Why Ship&Play Exists
We built Ship&Play around a simple idea: your luggage should arrive at your destination ready and waiting for you—not stuffed in an overhead bin, not lost on a carousel, not charged as an afterthought at the gate.
Whether you’re traveling with golf clubs, ski gear, bikes, or just a regular suitcase you’d rather not wrestle through security, we handle door-to-door shipping that’s tracked and insured every step of the way. You show up to the airport with just what you need, skip the bag drop, and walk to your gate with just a coffee in hand.
Summer travel is stressful enough. Your luggage doesn’t have to be part of that stress. Get a quote and ship your luggage ahead.
Survey conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Ship&Play, May 7–12, 2026. n=1,000 U.S. adults who traveled by air in the preceding 12 months.