But the real problem with air travel is not the carbon footprint, the hassle of security checks, the tedium of the boarding gate, the soulless sprawl of the hire car lot, or Ryanair's excessive excess charges and unavoidable fees for allegedly optional extras.
In addition, the survey found, more than one in 10 travelers said they had canceled flights or were flying less because of the "hassles" of airport security.
As he travels, Mr. Goldberg has come to take an odd comfort in the hassle of airport security.
Private flight outfit Talon Air is the answer for anyone looking to forego the hassle of airport security lines.
Much could go wrong, from accommodation and transport hassles to security scares.
"A lot of first-class and Concorde passengers have migrated to private jets, since the increase in cost is marginal and the absence of security hassles is a huge benefit," says Gesar. "With first class being folded into business on many commercial airlines, the overall volume of first- and business-class passengers is increasing globally, especially in China, India and the Middle East".
Copa, a local airline, aspires to turn Panama into an alternative regional hub for travellers deterred by the security hassles of Miami airport.The second factor is that Mr Torrijos's government has been rather more effective than its predecessors.
Business travelers, to be sure, still have to contend with the various hassles of modern travel, from long airport security lines to delayed or canceled flights.
So for Iraqis, the relatively cooler weather, despite exceeding 100 degrees every day, has allowed a small space in which to enjoy more prosaic pleasures, even amid the rising fear of explosions and the hassles of traffic jams caused by new security operations and checkpoints.
Neither are the inevitable flight delays or hassles with security.
