Take-aways from the latest passenger survey from SITA include the increasing popularity of biometrics.

The research reveals 57% would definitely use biometrics instead of a passport or boarding pass.

Privacy concerns remain for one third of passengers however and the report reveals this figure increases among those already using “automated ID control.”

It’s interesting that the comfort level already seems quite high given that biometric technology in airports is still pretty much at the trial stage.

Brisbane Airport is testing facial recognition technology in conjunction with SITA for identification from check-in to boarding.

Finnair has just finished a trial using facial recognition technology with 1,000 frequent flyers at Helsinki Airport.

Further findings of the research reveal that passengers using technology throughout their journey report slightly higher satisfaction levels than those that do things face-to-face.

The overwhelming majority of passengers, 80%, now book online while 13% still book face-to-face and 7% say they book using a mobile app.

Passengers also seem to favour automated check-in options with 28% using the web, 15% via a self-service kiosk and 5% using an app.

Finally, mobile app usage for booking is down from 16.5% last year to 7% this year although it is anticipated device usage will evolve to other services during the journey such as way-finding and personal preferences.

The SITA Passenger IT Trends Survey was conducted online with more than 7,000 respondents in 17 countries.