IATA
The report gives important insight into passengers’ preferences during air travel. Credit: Jorge Díaz.

Air passengers are keen to have access to new technologies that give them more control and information, as well as improve efficiency during their journey, according to a report issued by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The report, titled ‘2018 Global Passenger Survey (GPS)’, is based on the survey of 10,408 passengers across 145 countries and gives important insight into passengers’ preferences during air travel.

Passengers said that they want to be kept informed throughout their journey mainly through their personal device.

Nearly 82% of respondents said that they would like to receive information on flight status, 49% on baggage, while 46% would like to receive waiting time information at security and immigration.

“As we move more and more towards digital processes, passengers need to be confident that their personal data is safe.”

Almost 56% of passengers said that they want real-time baggage tracking throughout the journey. Airlines and airports are implementing tracking at major journey points, including loading and unloading, to meet passengers’ demand.

Mobile devices were the favourite option for travellers to receive information on their baggage and other travel elements. Nearly 73% of passengers preferred receiving information through SMS or a Smartphone app.

To accelerate the security check, almost 65% passengers are ready to share personal data, while 45% of respondents are willing to replace their passports with biometric identification.

IATA Airport, passenger, cargo and security senior vice-president Nick Careen said: “As we move more and more towards digital processes, passengers need to be confident that their personal data is safe. IATA is working to establish a trust framework that ensures secure data sharing, legal compliance and privacy.”

Automated check-in was preferred by 84% of travellers, whereas 47% liked to check-in online using a smartphone. Just 16% passengers opted for the traditional check-in.

Contrary to this, senior travellers aged 65 years and above expressed a strong desire for traditional check-in (25% vs global 17%) and bag-drop processes (42% vs global 32%).