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Biggest Hassles of Tech and Travel
May 26, 2009

Hate it when you're notebook battery runs out of juice during a trip? You're not alone.

Having a dead PC battery or no place to charge it was the biggest complaint of frequent travelers in a survey sponsored by HP (NYSE: HPQ) released on Friday. The survey was an American Airlines Customer Research online study conducted with more than 1,500 frequent travelers who log more than 20 trips a year on three or more airlines.

A combined 67.7 percent of frequent travelers surveyed said a dead battery (41.4 percent) and no place to plug in (26.3 percent) were their largest complaints. Power outlets also are in high demand at the gate and onboard the flight. Twenty-four percent said access to electrical power is the most important technology amenity aboard a plane.

The survey also indicated frequent travelers have a hunger for connectivity that exceeds there hunger for, well, food. More than 47 percent of business travelers surveyed indicated Wi-Fi was the most important airport amenity, outscoring basic travels needs such as food by nearly 30 percentage points.