eDreams ODIGEO has polled 10,000* customers across the USA, UK, Europe* to reveal the ways consumers predict how travel will look in 20 years' time. In celebration of the eDreams 20th anniversary the top USA customer wish list for flight travel services on board is:

• Open spaces with games, cinema and entertainment (56%)
• Free Wi-Fi and streaming services on-board (54%)
• Food delivery on-board to eat favourite foods (52%)
• Faster / supersonic planes (52%)
• Access to beds in all classes (50%)
• Electric planes (38%)
• Keeping them as they are today (2%)

When comparing this data to the European markets, the USA travellers are focused on change, only 2% would wish to keep the services on board as they are today compared to the Germans (13%) or the English (10%).

When it comes to the number one service on board, most of our European travellers (except the Italians) have put free Wi-Fi which is one position lower for the USA travellers.

The cost of travel

In terms of US-specific data, 81% of respondents believe that technology developments could hold travel prices down - and 56% believe that a simple demand for low-cost fares will make travel less expensive.

Technology and travel

When assessing advancement in technology, 67% of the American respondents think memories will be stored through virtual reality (VR) but 45% think travellers will still be printing hard copy photographs. Of all new services desired within the travel industry, 65% hope for reduced airport queues by having facial recognition tools in place so passport check in is not required, 54% hope to have a robot concierge type service that looks after the entire trip (from planning the itinerary to helping you board your plane and arriving at your doorstep at the end of your trip), and 46% hope for personalised destination guides, which reflects a growing trend for personalisation and bespoke travel.

Of all technology advances, 56% think travel in space will be possible in 20 years' time, 45% hope for travel in time, 40% for teleportation and 37% to be able to choose the weather at arrival on holidays!

Language barriers

73% of USA respondents believe language barriers might become a thing of the past and overcome by technological devices that offer simultaneous translation and 59% think English will be more widely spoken worldwide.

When comparing the global data as a whole, only 7% of USA customers still believe travellers will need to learn languages as we do today to overcome language barriers, the lowest percentage among all countries polled. They are followed by Italy (8%), Germany (9%) and Portugal (10%). In contrast with the English with 23%.

The overall consensus is that language barriers will be overcome by technology.

*Notes to editor: Research conducted by One Poll for eDreams ODIGEO. 10,000 people who have travelled by plane were polled in Germany, France, Spain, UK, Portugal, Italy, Sweden and the USA.

2,000 of these respondents were based in the USA.