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Airport users prefer self-service technology

Passengers prefer to use self-service technology than talk to people at the airport.

The Passenger IT Trends Survey by SITA found that 8.2 of 10 people rated their journey very highly but this further increased when technologies such as self-service check-in desks, mobile services and biometrics are used.

A total of 37% of people used some form of automated ID control on their last flight, with 55% using it at security for departure, 33% when boarding and 12% when arriving from an international destination. And passengers who used biometrics rated the experience 8.4, above the 8.2 for boarding and the 8.0 for passport check.

Those travellers who received real-time information about their baggage location around the carousel, overall, had a better experience of 8.4 out of 10 than their counterparts who did not receive any updates and passengers who were sent information to their mobiles were even more pleased, with satisfaction levels increasing by an extra 10%.

Passengers now tend to prefer to use mobile-enabled websites to book and check-in for their holidays whilst airline and airport smartphone or tablet apps have been helping travellers receive information on their flights.

Going into the future, passengers would be interested in getting personalised information about their flight, baggage and how to find their gate through to their mobile phone. Three quarters of passengers said they would use flight and gate alerts sent to their mobile devices whilst 57% would use aids to help them locate certain places around the airport.

Ilya Gutlin, President of Air Travel Solutions at SITA, said: "Passengers are increasingly comfortable with the use of technology in their everyday lives, and they are demanding more services as they appreciate the benefits technology can bring to their journey. Airports and airlines can take note that technology solutions can boost passenger satisfaction every step of the way.

"Passengers aren't deciding anymore whether they should use technology but which technology to use. They want to make each step of the journey as easy as possible. Tech adoption will be driven by both context and usability. For this reason, a clear focus on the end-users' demands should shape the services airlines and airports offer."

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