The vast majority of airline passengers (98%) would consider using an eVTOL air taxi service as part of their journey, according to a survey conducted by Honeywell. Canvassing 1,000 U.S. adult travelers, the aerospace technology group also found that 79% of them would travel more often if they could use one of the new electric aircraft to get to and from airports.

With time savings clearly identified as the main basis for passengers’ willingness to embrace so-called advanced air mobility technology, almost half of the respondents (47%) told Honeywell that “not having to sit in traffic” was their main motivation. Other factors cited include ease of use and convenience (61%), cost (61%), minimal environmental impact (44%), and novelty or curiosity (44%).

Travelers expressing the highest levels of enthusiasm for the prospect of eVTOL air services included millennials (65%), people who have flown more than 10 times in the past year (67%), and those traveling for business (60%). By comparison, 58% of all respondents were in the “most enthusiastic” category, along with 56% of those who have taken fewer than 10 trips, and 45% of those traveling purely for pleasure.

Survey respondents also signaled a willingness to take eVTOL flights to move between cities within 100 miles of each other (41%), to make trips from a suburban airport to a city center (31%), or to catch a connecting flight from a nearby city (28%). According to Honeywell, eVTOL aircraft could offer connections from New York City to Philadelphia in less than an hour, compared with a drive time in a car of two to three hours.

“Our research indicates significant appetite for such services already exists, but, like any new technology, consumers need to feel confident about safety, cost, and reliability,” said Dave Shilliday, v-p and general manager of Advanced Air Mobility at Honeywell Aerospace Technologies.

Honeywell’s Advanced Air Mobility business unit is working with eVTOL aircraft developers to provide key enabling technologies, including flight automation capability. Several leading air carriers, including United, Delta, Virgin Atlantic, and ANA, have been actively developing plans to introduce eVTOL air taxi services with manufacturers such as Joby, Archer, and Vertical Aerospace.