24 Oct 2016

Huge majority of passengers willing to trade personal data for better airline experience

Over eight out of ten airline passengers say they would be happy to give more information about themselves to airlines and airports.

The caveat for such a flow of information is to ensure that both parts of the travel foodchain give them a more “customised travel experience”.

This is one of landmark findings from the annual Global Passenger Survey conducted by IATA with almost 7,000 regular fliers.

Other important trends to highlight in the report include the increasing desire by passengers to handle many of the traditional airport processes themselves, by using technology.

A third of passengers want to “self-tag” their own luggage and almost four out of then (39%) would be happy use electronic bag tags when flying.

Some 61% say they would consider using bag-tracking tools if they were made available by the airline.

For the first time, over half (51%) say they would want to use their own devices on-board a flight if they technology to access in-flight entertainment was an option – this is an increase of 12% from the same survey in 2015.

Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice president for airport, passenger, cargo and security, says passengers want “convenience and quick results with their bookings and check-in”, hopefully leading to better airport experience.

“They [passengers] are ready to embrace the benefits of new technology when it comes to enhancing their travel experience.

“Airlines and airports that recognize this and provide passengers with easy-to-use mobile services, self-service options and one-stop security checks will improve the travel experience and passenger satisfaction.”

Some further noteworthy findings from the report:

  • Most popular elements that will improve the flight experience – inflight wifi (under 24s), timely notifications (25-44), attentive cabin crew (45+).
  • 26% would like to have luggage picked up from home and taken to the airport.
  • Notification priorities – flight status (85%), baggage status (60%), waiting times at border control/security (58%).
  • Notification channels – text or SMS (53%), mobile app alert (22%), email (21%).
  • On-board wifi uses – emails (30%, instant messaging (23%), web browsing (22%).

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