IATA passenger survey: Real time information provision, biometrics and automation all favoured

IATA published (02-Oct-2018 ) its 2018 Global Passenger Survey (GPS), reporting results show passengers are looking to new technology to give them more control, information and improve efficiency when they travel. According to IATA, passengers in the survey expressed a want for:

• Real time journey information delivered to their personal devices. Receiving information on flight status (82%), baggage (49%) and waiting time at security/immigration (46%) were identified as passengers' top three priorities after booking a flight;
• Biometric identification to facilitate their travel processes. 65% of passengers are willing to share personal data for expedited security and 45% are willing to replace their passports with biometric identification;
• Automation of more airport processes:
  • Automated check-in was preferred by 84% of passengers;
  • 47% prefer to check in online using a smartphone. Only 16% preferred traditional check in;
  • The overall experience with automated immigration procedures was rated favourably by 74% of passengers. 72% believe that automated immigration processes are faster and 65% believe they enhance security;
  • 70% of passengers want self service baggage check in. Only one in three travellers prefers an agent to tag their bag. The electronic bag tag is growing in popularity - favoured by 39% of passengers (up eight percentage points from 2017);
• Wait times of less than 10 minutes at security/immigration:
  • The top frustrations with security were the intrusiveness of having to remove personal items (57%) the removal of laptops/large electronic devices from cabin bags (48%) and the lack of consistency in screening procedures at different airports (41%);
  • To improve the boarding experience, the top three desires of passengers are more efficient queuing at boarding gates (64%), the availability of overhead space on the aircraft (42%), and not having to queue on the aerobridge (33%);
• 56% regarded real time baggage tracking throughout the journey was seen as a must;
• 43% of passengers prefer to use a travel agency, travel management company or corporate travel department to book their flights. [more - original PR]