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Survey: Air travelers hate removing shoes more than pat-downs

By Natalie Avon, Special to CNN
Removing your shoes topped the list for the most dissatisfying aspect of flying, according to a survey.
Removing your shoes topped the list for the most dissatisfying aspect of flying, according to a survey.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • 75% said there must be a better way to provide air travel security
  • The majority of respondents said that security procedures were inconsistent
  • Only 18% of respondents rated their travels as negative
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(CNN) -- When it comes to airport security, Americans have a case of cold feet.

Thirty-seven percent of air travelers rank removing their shoes at the airport as the most dissatisfying aspect of their flying experience, according to a survey conducted for the U.S. Travel Association, a nonprofit oranization hoping to increase travel to and within the United States.

Even amid recent outcries against new security measures, taking off shoes before going through a metal detector ranked more negatively than both pat-down body searches and full body X-ray scanning, according to the survey, which was conducted online by Consensus Research Group and included 1,000 air travelers who have flown in the past two years.

"What the shoe issue has become for travelers is really demonstrative of the inefficiencies and lack of creativeness in the system today," said Geoff Freeman, executive vice president of the U.S. Travel Association. "If we put our minds to it, we can help people keep their shoes on their feet."

Full body pat-downs and body scanners were the last straw for many passengers, Freeman said, and 75% of those surveyed agreed that there must be a better way to provide air travel security than the measures that are taken today.

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This could include a special security line for frequent air travelers, which 60% approved of, or an entirely different security process for American citizens willing to provide the government with personal background information, an option 65% approved of. Fifty-eight percent of respondents would favor creating a special security line for infrequent travelers and families.

The majority of respondents said that security screening procedures were inconsistent and stressful, while about 40% sai their experiences was embarrassing, intimidating or intrusive, according to the survey. Thirty percent said that the screenings were fair and only 23% deemed them as effective.

"The words they associate with the system today are not the words that any of us want to have the customers associate with the system," Freeman said. "Travelers continue to be frustrated with a system that they believe isn't the best one America can create."

Even with the criticisms about security measures, 82% of people had either positive or neutral experiences flying. Only 18% of respondents rated their travels as negative.

"If three out of four customers are saying 'There must be a better way,' you've got two choices," Freeman said. "Change to thrive or keep the status quo and lose your customers in the process."