The International Air Transport Association have announced the results of its 2023 Global Passenger Survey, showing that travelers continue to prioritize speed and convenience and are increasingly embracing biometrics and off-airport processes to deliver it.
“Passengers have made it clear: they want to spend less time booking and move through the airport faster,” says IATA senior vice president for operations, safety and security Nick Careen.
“And they are increasingly willing to use biometric data to complete more pre-departure tasks off airport to achieve this.”
Planning and Booking
Passengers want convenience when they plan their travel and when choosing from where to depart.
Their preference is to fly from an airport close to home, have all booking options and services available in one single place and pay with their preferred payment method.
- • Proximity to the airport was passengers’ main priority when choosing their departure point (71 per cent). This was more important than ticket price (31 per cent).
- • A small majority of passengers prefer to book directly with the airline (52 per cent). Regardless of booking channel used however, they would like to have complete visibility into the fare offer including easy access to optional products and services.
“Today’s travelers expect the same online experience as they get from major online retailers,” says IATA senior vice president for financial settlement and distribution services Muhammad Albakri.
“The Modern Airline Retailing program responds to these needs. Whichever shopping channel passengers choose, airlines want to present them with all the options for even quicker and more convenient booking.
“When Modern Airline Retailing is fully realised, travelers will be able to track their air travel purchases with a single order number-simple and fast. It will also greatly simplify reaccommodating travelers in the event of a change or a disruption.”
Payment
- • Convenience was the main reason passengers chose a particular payment method (62 per cent). Among seven different payment methods, the most popular was credit / debit card (73 per cent), followed by digital wallet (18 per cent) and bank transfer (18 per cent). At the same time, there are very wide regional variations in credit card usage. Credit / debit cards are most popular in Latin America (85 per cent), Europe (81 per cent) and North America (74 per cent) with the lowest preference being in Africa (57 per cent). Digital wallet penetration most popular in the Asia Pacific region, where 41 per cent of respondents cited this as the preferred option. The next highest market was Europe (15 per cent) followed by Middle East (14 per cent). Among the regions, direct bank transfer was the most preferred payment method in Africa (36 per cent), followed by the Middle East (21 per cent). IATA has developed IATA Pay, an alternative method for travelers to pay for air tickets purchased online by directly debiting their bank account.
- • Payment issues cited by respondents included the inability to use their preferred option or to pay in installments; others cited a tedious payment process and concerns over payment security. Furthermore, 25 per cent of potential product/services sales during the customer journey could not be eventually completed because of payment issues.
“Payment needs to be seen as part of the commercial offer and not just as a financial transaction at the end of the sale. Customers want to be able to use their preferred payment method with convenience and security. Each market is different and there is no one-size-fits-all answer. If a preferred payment method is not available or too complicated, the potential sale may be lost. Ensuring the customer can use their preferred payment method more often is a key part of the Modern Airline Retailing program,” says Muhammad.
Travel Facilitation
Complex visa requirements deter travelers who want a convenient, digital online visa process. Moreover, many are willing to share their immigration information for faster airport immigration procedures.
- • 36 per cent of travelers said they have been discouraged from traveling to a particular destination because of the immigration requirements. Process complexity was highlighted as the main deterrent by 49 per cent of travelers, 19 per cent cited costs and 8 per cent privacy concerns.
- • Where visas are required, 66 per cent of travelers want to obtain a visa online prior to travel, 20 per cent prefer to go to the consulate or embassy and 14 per cent at the airport.
- • 87 per cent of travelers indicated they would share their immigration information to speed up the airport arrival process, representing an increase from the 83 per cent reported in 2022.
“Time-consuming and complex visa requirements deter travelers and deprive destination economies of valuable tourist revenues,” says Nick.
“Time and again, we have seen that when countries remove visa requirements, economies prosper from rising visitor numbers. Beyond simplified visa procedures, travelers are prepared to share their immigration information if it results in faster and smoother airport processes. Taking advantage of traveler willingness to use online processes and share information in advance is always a win-win solution.”
Airport Processes
At the airport, speed is of the essence. Passengers expect streamlined processes and minimal wait times. They’re keen on using biometrics to expedite procedures, prefer to complete more processes off-site, and arrive at the airport ready to fly.
- • Passengers expect to move through the airport faster than ever. 74 per cent stated that when traveling with only a carry-on bag, they anticipate going from the curb to the boarding gate in 30 minutes or less, an increase from 54 per cent in 2022.
- • Passengers want to complete more processing elements off-airport. 45 per cent of travelers identified immigration as their top pick for off-airport processing. This was up from 32 per cent in 2022. Check-in was the second most popular pick at 33 per cent, followed by baggage check-in (19 per cent). And 91 per cent of passengers are interested in a special program for trusted travelers (background checks) to expedite security screening.
- • Passengers want more flexibility and more control in the baggage process. 67 per cent would be interested in home pick-up and delivery, 77 per cent said they would be likely to check in a bag if they could tag it and check it in before they get to the airport and 87 per cent would be willing to check in a bag if they could track it. Also, interest in self-tracking is growing: 57 per cent of travelers have used or want to use electronic bag tags, up from 50 per cent in 2022.
- • Confidence in biometric identification is on the rise. In the last 12 months, 46 per cent of passengers used biometrics at the airport, up from 34 per cent in 2022. Furthermore, 75 per cent of passengers prefer using biometric data over traditional passports and boarding passes. Of those who’ve used biometric identification during their travels, 46 per cent reported an 85 per cent satisfaction rate. While data protection remains a concern for half of the travelers, 40 per cent would be more open to biometric solutions if they were confident that their personal information is secure – an increase from 33 per cent in 2022.
“Passengers want technology to work harder, so they spend less time ‘being processed’, standing in queues. And they are willing to use biometric data if it delivers this result. But we need cooperation across the value chain and with governments to make it happen with secure technology that is available today,” says Nick.
IATA’s One ID initiative is revolutionising airport processes using biometrics so passengers don’t need to stand in queues on departure or on arrival. IATA’s newly developed ‘Digitalization of Admissibility’ standards are the latest advancement with a mechanism to enable passengers to digitally obtain all necessary pre-travel authorizations directly from governments before their trip.
With their ‘OK to Fly’ status shared with the airline, travelers can bypass all on-airport document verifications and enjoy an expedited travel process.
“We have the standards and technology to radically improve the international travel experience. But we can only move at the pace that governments allow within their regulations. That’s why a top priority in realizing seamless One ID enabled travel is working with governments to demonstrate that border control can be more secure even while making passenger travel more convenient,” says Nick.
