Airline travellers want more tech and more flexibility, the survey said. Photo / Supplied
Airline travellers want more tech and more flexibility, the survey said. Photo / Supplied
A global survey of 10,000 airline passengers from throughout the world reveals they’re more concerned about proximity to airports than ticket prices.
In spite of soaring fares, almost twice as many nominated proximity to an airport as important than the 39 per cent most concerned about prices.
The International AirTransport Association (IATA) survey, run in 222 countries, also shows 18 per cent of passengers say that they offset their carbon emissions - far higher than the 6.9 per cent of those who travel on Air New Zealand.
The main reason given by those surveyed that did not (36 per cent) was not being aware of the option.
IATA’s senior vice president for operations, safety and security Nick Careen said travel during the pandemic 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.”
Survey respondents have outlined what they want to smooth the airport experience. Photo / NZME
Countries with complex visa procedures were losing out.
Just on 37 per cent of travellers said they have been discouraged from travelling to a particular destination because of the immigration requirements. Process complexity was highlighted as the main deterrent by 65 per cent of travellers, while 12 per cent cited costs, and 8 per cent time.
Where visas are required, 66 per cent of travellers want to obtain a visa online prior to travel, 20 per cent prefer to go to the consulate or embassy and 14 per cent to do it at the airport.
Eighty-three per cent of travellers said they would share their immigration information to speed up the airport arrival process - slightly down from the 88 per cent recorded in 2021.
“Travellers have told us that barriers to travel remain. Where countries have removed visa requirements, tourism and travel economies have thrived,” said Careen
Passengers are willing to take advantage of technology and revamped processes to improve the convenience of their airport experience and manage their baggage.
The survey showed passengers are willing to complete processing elements off-airport, with 44 per cent of travellers identifying check-in as their top pick for off-airport processing. Meanwhile 93 per cent of passengers were interested in a special programme for trusted travellers (including background checks) to expedite security screening.
Passengers would be happier checking in bags if they could track them. Photo / Supplied
Passengers are interested in more options for baggage handling with 67 per cent interested in home pick-up and delivery and 73 per cent in remote check-in options. Some 80 per cent of passengers said they would be more likely to check a bag if they could monitor it throughout the journey. Half said that they have used or would be interested in using an electronic bag tag.
The survey also found passengers see value in biometric identification, with 75 per cent of passengers wanting to use biometric data instead of passports and boarding passes.
Over a third have already experienced using biometric identification in their travels, with an 88 per cent satisfaction rate. But data protection remains a concern for about half of all travellers.
“Passengers clearly see technology as key to improving the convenience of airport processes,” said 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. And we need to continuously reassure passengers that the data needed to support such an experience will be safely kept,” said Careen.
