Airline passengers see convenience as the most important factor when booking a flight, with the vast majority saying that being able to fly from a local airport is more of a priority than the ticket price.
Travellers also want technology to be more widely used to help simplify their journeys, according to the International Air Transport Association’s 2022 Global Passenger Survey of more than 10,000 people from 200-plus countries.
Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice president for operations, safety and security, said: “Travel during Covid-19 was complex, cumbersome and time consuming due to government-imposed travel requirements. Post-pandemic, passengers want improved convenience throughout their trip. Digitalisation and use of biometrics to speed up the travel journey is the key.”
Proximity to the airport was a top priority for 75 per cent of travellers, well ahead of the ticket price (39 per cent). They also want access to planning and booking information in one single place, as well as being able to use their preferred payment method.
Most airline passengers (83 per cent) are also willing to share their immigration information to speed up the airport arrival process.
“Travellers have told us that barriers to travel remain,” said Careen. “Countries with complex visa procedures are losing the economic benefits that these travellers bring. Where countries have removed visa requirements, tourism and travel economies have thrived.
“For countries requiring certain categories of travellers to get visas, taking advantage of traveller willingness to use online processes and share information in advance would be a win-win solution.”
The survey revealed that nearly one-fifth (18 per cent) said they were currently offsetting their carbon emissions from flying, with 51 per cent of these travellers under the age of 40. The main reason given for those not offsetting their flights was that they were unaware of the option to do this (36 per cent).
In terms of airport processes, passengers were particularly interested in completing check-in before arriving at the airport, as well as taking part in programmes for “trusted” travellers to expedite security screening.
There was also support for the use of biometric identification, which 75 per cent of passengers would like to use instead of passports and boarding passes. More than one-third of respondents have already used biometric ID during journeys, with an 88 per cent satisfaction rate. Although around half of travellers are still concerned about data protection.
“Passengers clearly see technology as key to improving the convenience of airport processes,” added Careen. “They want to arrive at the airport ready-to-fly, get through the airport at both ends of their journey more quickly using biometrics and know where their baggage is at all times.
“The technology exists to support this ideal experience, but we need co-operation across the value chain and with governments to make it happen. We need to continuously reassure passengers that the data needed to support such an experience will be safely kept.”