The annual Passenger IT Trends Survey, which Tnooz covered here, revealed that nearly all travelers on a global basis were still reluctant to use mobile services.
The survey, which was statistically significant to represent the 299 million passengers transiting via the world's 6 busiest airports, was a reminder of the consumer-side work to be done to transform mobile into a passenger panacea.
Quoting from our previous article:
Three out of every four passengers carry a smartphone, yet fewer than 5% of them use mobile devices to access check-in, booking, and other air travel services, says SITA (Societe Internationale de Telecommunications Aeronautiques), the industry consortium.
And, given airports' significant ongoing investments in mobile services (as seen in SITA's Airport IT Investment survey covered here), one airport wanted to be sure that they weren't lumped into this surprising statistic: Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson, which also just happens to be the world's busiest.
The airport released the following notes about how the results skewed when looking primarily at that specific airport:
- 82% of Atlanta's passengers carry smartphones, the highest number of any airport surveyed.
- 51% of Atlanta passengers would purchase air tickets on mobile - the most out of all surveyed airports.
- 65% of Atlanta passengers are interested in using their mobiles to make flight changes, compared with 47% global average.
- 60% of Atlanta passengers would purchase ancillary services, such as seat upgrades, on their mobile phones. This compares to the 39% global average.
- This ancillary purchase number jumped from 35% last year - a jump of 25% year-over-year.
- 38% of Atlanta's travelers use mobile check-in "regularly" or "sometimes," higher than the global average of 31%.
- 11% had used their mobile for check-in, up from 3% a year earlier.
- 10% of Atlanta passengers boarded their flight using a mobile boarding pass.
Atlanta's General Manager Miguel Southwell is pleased with this situation as it pushes all stakeholders to provide a better mobile experience:
SITA’s survey shows that we have a great opportunity to increase revenue and create a seamless journey for passengers by offering more mobile services. And [passengers] are keen to use [mobile] for everything from check-in and boarding to accessing information and buying products and services.
SITA President, Americas, Paul Houghton had this to say in their announcement:
Over the years, our surveys have shown that Atlanta passengers have a strong preference for self-service. However, this year’s survey reflects a major increase in their desire to use mobile travel services—particularly to purchase tickets and ancillary services. With most passengers now carrying smartphones, travel providers can generate new revenues by creating stronger relationships with passengers through their personal devices. They can then offer services when they need them most.
The most compelling statistic is the continued reluctance of passengers to use their mobile phones for purchase - 62% said they didn't use the booking functionality due to usability issues. The small screen size continues to be the most obvious impediment, and likely won't be overcome as increased tablet penetration offers a more pleasing experience for complex flight searches.
NB: Atlanta image courtesy Shutterstock.