Digitalisation resolves air travel pain points for passengers

In 2023, air travel soared, surpassing industry expectations. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predictions suggest that demand will only continue to grow, reaching eight billion global passengers by 2040. Ensuring the passenger journey is smooth and efficient will be more important than ever for the industry to manage this growth. According to SITA’s newly released 2024 Passenger IT Insights report, travellers see technology as the key, eagerly embracing innovations like mobile-enabled digital travel.

Passengers already use their mobile devices as a remote control for their journeys, with high adoption across key stages like booking and baggage collection. Taking this a step further, a full three out of four passengers surveyed reported being comfortable with having their passport stored on their phone through a secure Digital Travel Credential and sharing this in advance to speed up the journey. This signals the hugely important role digital identities will play in the travel experience of the future.

According to SITA's report, 64% of passengers highlight shorter airport queues as the most important improvement to the travel process. Biometrics has been proven to speed up passenger processing times, but half of passengers express lingering concerns about data privacy. This points to a clear need for education and reassurance about the safety and benefits of biometric technology, which are tested against rigorous data security standards. Still, passengers rate their comfort levels with biometrics relatively highly, at an average of 6.7 out of 10.

David Lavorel, SITA CEO, observed: “We are on the cusp of a new era in travel, as unprecedented demand converges with technological innovations that have the power to revolutionise the journey. The appetite from passengers is clear: they’re eager to embrace the latest digital solutions to make their experience swifter and more streamlined than ever before. The responsibility falls to the industry to ensure travellers are fully informed of the advanced data security and privacy-preserving potential of biometrics.”

Sustainability remains at the forefront for passengers, who are willing to take on extra commitments in terms of cost and time to make their travel greener. SITA's report suggests they're willing to pay an average of 11% on top of their ticket cost to offset their flight’s carbon emissions. More than half are also open to taking longer flights at slower speed or carrying lighter baggage to reduce their carbon footprint.

“Passengers are telling the industry that they are willing to meet us halfway in terms of the shift towards net-zero aviation. Their openness to carbon offsetting and changing behaviours around baggage will supplement airlines and airports’ commitment to reducing emissions through measures like sustainable technology and changes to operations and infrastructure,” Lavorel added.

Passenger demand was up 8% in July this year, according to IATA.