Gaining control for airline passengers

As airline passengers increasingly look toward technology to achieve a seamless traveling experience, a survey from IATA also indicates travelers are aiming to gain more personal control as well.

According to IATA’s 2017 Global Passenger Survey, passengers are expecting automation from more airline processes, with 72 percent of respondents saying they’d prefer self-boarding and 49 percent wanting self-baggage drop off (up from 46 percent in 2016).

A key finding also indicates that travelers are looking beyond smartphone electronic boarding passes (though usage is up to 74 percent from 71 percent in 2016) to identification through biometric data.

Specifically, 64 percent of respondents said biometric identification would be their travel token of choice.

Passengers likewise want to control their in-flight experience, with almost as many choosing to view entertainment on their personal devices (42 percent) as seatback devices (45 percent).

Real-time notifications sent to personal devices, meanwhile, saw a shift in preferred method. Passengers are more willing to receive notification via apps (28 percent, up from 22 percent in 2016) and email (26 percent, up from 21 percent), with preference for SMS down to 42 percent from 53.