Islanders have lost confidence in air and sea travel links, with just one in five expressing faith that services will meet future needs, a new survey has revealed.
The Island Global Research study, conducted in January 2026 across Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, found satisfaction with reliability had plummeted since 2019.
Only 17% of Manx respondents said they were satisfied with the reliability of air travel, a drop of 29 percentage points. For sea travel, satisfaction fell by 33 points to 27%.
Cost also drew widespread criticism, with most residents dissatisfied with prices for both air and sea travel.
Not Just Here
One respondent said: “Too many times these days throughout the year, the traveling links by boat or air are cancelled or disrupted. It used to be a rare occasion, now it is weekly, sometimes daily.”
The survey of 2,463 residents across the three Crown Dependencies highlighted concerns over airport operations, with ongoing issues around air traffic control widely believed to contribute to delays.
More than 40% of Isle of Man respondents expressed low confidence that travel links would meet the needs of residents travelling off-island or provide security for vital lifeline routes.
The findings come as the island faces continued scrutiny over the resilience of its transport connections to the UK and beyond.