Study finds 68% of UK passengers prefer use of AI by airports

Younger travellers prefer use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology by airports to enhance their experience, reveals an online YouGov poll commissioned by inflight entertainment and passenger engagement company Spafax.

The survey, which involved nearly 2,110 respondents, asked about their wish list for an airport lounge of the future.

37% of the respondents aged 18 to 34 said that they would play augmented reality (AR) board games with other passengers; however just 9% aged 55 and more like so.

Nearly 17% of 18-24-year-old participants said they would like to try on hologram clothes at an airport, while only 6% of those more than 55 would.

In an airport lounge, about 36% of women would opt for a virtual reality (VR) preview of tourist attractions at their destination, along with the opportunity to pre-book tickets once they browse.

Similarly, a second GB survey, which asked respondents to imagine an upcoming long haul flight from London to New York, revealed that 38% wanted AI to help with speeding up the airport process while 35% said that they want news information on their destination whilst on-board.

The poll highlights that retired travellers are possibly the most relaxed passengers, with only 2% of them saying they would like to participate in a virtual reality boxing match, while 17% of full-time students chose this option.

Almost half (48%) of retired people did not want any sort of personalised experience at an airport compared with a quarter (25%) of full-time students.

Spafax Brand Alliances head Charles Vine said: “We commissioned this research to find out what the British public actually wants out of their airport and airport lounge experiences.

“Airport lounges in particular are evolving from faceless waiting rooms with chairs and a coffee machine to being providers of an experience in their own right.

“Around 27% were against being helped by AI for a hypothetical upcoming trip, whereas a resounding 68% of the British public did want artificial intelligence AI to help them get the most out of their time at the airport – whether that be assistance navigating the airport terminals or speeding up the check-in process. ”