Majority of travelers would opt for discounts over comfort, survey says

If an airline offered you a reward for being such a loyal customer, what would you want to receive? According to a recent survey, most travelers would rather have more money in their bank accounts than more legroom on their next flight. GO Airport Express, a Chicago-based airport transportation company, asked more than 850 of its customers that very question, and more than half of them opted for a ticket credit over in-flight comfort.

In the fictional scenario, these would-be passengers were offered a choice of four loyalty perks: a credit toward the purchase of their next flight, free food and beverages on their next flight, more legroom or priority boarding. The respondents — regardless of gender or demographic — overwhelmingly went for the ticket credit, followed by more legroom (32%), priority boarding (11%) and free eats (9%).

Some travelers wrote in their own suggestions, an unsurprising wish list that included being upgraded to first class, getting access to the airport lounge or "the option to be the only passenger on the plane."

"Traveling economically still seems to be a priority," GO Airport Express president John McCarthy said. Or maybe free airplane food just sounds more like a punishment than a perk.