Enough is Enough! Advance Auto Parts Survey Reveals More Americans will Hit the Road this Summer Due to Air Travel Stress, Safety Concerns

Advance’s “Check Your Battery, Not Your Bag” campaign offers free gift cards for road trip essentials and curbside services beginning National Road Trip Day – Friday, May 24

RALEIGH, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Americans seem to be hitting a breaking point with air travel, with 67 percent saying they’ve had a trip negatively impacted or ruined because of problems with air travel during the last 12 months,* according to new data from Atomik Research, released today by Advance Auto Parts (NYSE: AAP), a leading automotive aftermarket parts provider.

From losing precious time – 44 percent citing that delays and other problems traveling by air has cost them vacation time – to safety concerns – 32 percent feeling less safe flying compared to a year ago, Americans are saying “enough!” This summer they’re trading wings for wheels: An astounding 70 percent say they are more likely compared to a year ago to choose traveling by automobile over flying due to the current state of air travel.

The “baggage” that comes with air travel continues to stack up and now outweighs the benefit of faster travel time for many Americans, according to the survey. Sixty-six percent say the number of hours they’re willing to drive before choosing to fly has increased in the past 12 months and 24 percent say they would drive 10 or more hours for summer vacation before choosing to fly.

Heeding consumers’ preference for summer vacation by automobile, Advance is encouraging travelers to “Check Your Battery, Not Your Bag” so they can achieve what matters most – enjoying their well-deserved summer vacation.

Beginning National Road Trip Day this Friday, May 24 through Monday, May 27, participating Advance stores nationwide will surprise randomly selected customers with free Advance gift cards to purchase DieHard® batteries, wiper blades or other road trip essentials, no previous purchase necessary. Complimentary curbside services are available every day throughout the year to customers at all participating Advance stores, including battery checks and installation, wiper blade installation and check engine light scanning.

“With all the concern about air travel and more people planning to travel by automobile – including willing to drive longer for their summer vacations – it’s critical they prepare their vehicles, and we want to make that as easy as possible,” said Junior Word, Advance’s executive vice president, U.S. stores. “Safety and reliability are at the center of ease, so our team of automotive experts are offering travelers a one-stop preparation shop – from car care essentials to curbside battery checks and installs on us.”

The great majority (85 percent) of survey respondents indicate they will prepare a pre-road trip checklist for their vacation. To further support motorists, Advance is providing “Rules of the Road (Trip)” – a free checklist outlining car preparation basics designed to help both light DIYers and gearheads alike – available on advanceautoparts.com.

Check out advanceautoparts.com or visit an Advance Auto Parts retail location to shop for all of the auto parts and products needed to get vehicles road trip ready.

About Advance Auto Parts

Advance Auto Parts, Inc. is a leading automotive aftermarket parts provider that serves both professional installer and do-it-yourself customers. As of December 30, 2023, Advance operated 4,786 stores and 321 Worldpac branches primarily within the United States, with additional locations in Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company also served 1,245 independently owned Carquest branded stores across these locations in addition to Mexico and various Caribbean islands. Additional information about Advance, including employment opportunities, customer services, and online shopping for parts, accessories and other offerings can be found at www.AdvanceAutoParts.com.

* Atomik Research conducted an online survey of 1,002 adult drivers who are considering traveling to their summer-travel destination via air travel or automobile. The margin of error for the overall sample of respondents is +/- 3 percentage points with a confidence level of 95 percent. Fieldwork took place between April 18 and April 19, 2024.