Are passengers, airports and airlines aligned?

It’ll be no great shakes for you to learn that the ‘connected passenger’ has become a reality, with 97% of airline passengers carrying at least one personal electronic device.

But a new report issued by air transport industry IT provide SITA says usage rates indicate that passengers have been slow to adopt new airline and airport mobile services when travelling.

‘The Future is Personal’ report shows airlines have made significant investments in mobile services over the past four years as smartphone adoption surged and the majority now enable passengers to buy tickets, check-in and access flight information via smartphone apps.

Still global rollout and adoption is proving to be slower and more complex than was anticipated. Half of passengers are keen to use their mobiles to find their way around the airport, access lounges or the aircraft, provide identification at checkpoints, or make payments. The reality is though, that despite these and other services, including mobile check-in and boarding passes provided by airlines, 24% of passengers have not yet used travel apps at all on their journey.

SITA’s report also details the desire for passengers to experience personalised services throughout their journey and explains how personalisation is now expected both on the ground and in-flight. This era of continuous engagement means that passengers also expect to be kept informed during periods of disruption and given the ability to manage the changing circumstances of their journey.