By Chinelo Obogo, [email protected]
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced the results of its 2023 Global Passenger Survey (GPS), showing that travelers continue to prioritise speed and convenience and are increasingly embracing biometrics and off-airport processes to deliver it.
GPS results are based on over 8,000 responses from more than 200 countries and provides insight into what passengers would like from their air travel experience. The report shows that proximity to the airport was passengers’ main priority when choosing their departure point (71%). This was more important than ticket price (31%). A small majority of passengers prefer to book directly with the airline (52%). 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. Convenience was the main reason passengers choose a particular payment method (62%). Among seven different payment methods, the most popular was credit / debit card (73%), followed by digital wallet (18%) and bank transfer (18%).
At the same time, there are very wide regional variations in credit card usage. Credit / debit cards are most popular in Latin America (85%), Europe (81%) and North America (74%) with the lowest preference being in Africa (57%). Digital wallet penetration most popular in the Asia Pacific region, where 41% of respondents cited this as the preferred option. The next highest market was Europe (15%) followed by Middle East (14%). Among the regions, direct bank transfer was the most preferred payment method in Africa (36%), followed by the Middle East (21%). IATA’s Senior Vice President for Operations, Safety and Security, Nick Careen, said, “Passengers have made it clear that they want to spend less time booking and move through the airport faster and they are increasingly willing to use biometric data to complete more pre-departure tasks off airport to achieve this. 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.”
In terms of travel facilitation, the report shows that 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.
The report indicates that 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 49per 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, while 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.
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.
The report showed that passengers expect to move through the airport faster than ever, while 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 more flexibility and more control in the baggage process. 67 per cent would be interested in home pick-up and delivery, 77 per 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% in 2022.
Confidence in biometric identification is on the rise. In the last 12 months, 46% of passengers used biometrics at the airport, up from 34% in 2022. Furthermore, 75% of passengers prefer using biometric data over traditional passports and boarding passes. Of those who’ve used biometric identification during their travels, 46% reported an 85% satisfaction rate. While data protection remains a concern for half of the travelers, 40% would be more open to biometric solutions if they were confident that their personal information is secure – an increase from 33% 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,” Careen said.