Nearly half of air passengers "definitely" would use their smartphones for payments while traveling, according to a new survey by air transport technology firm SITA and Air Transport World.
SITA this spring surveyed 6,277 leisure and business travelers who during the prior six months had traveled through one of the major airports in Africa, the Americas, Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Europe. Leisure travelers represented 67 percent of respondents, while 33 percent were business travelers.
Thirty-five percent of the respondents indicated they "may" use mobile payment options, while about one-fifth said they were "not willing to use their smartphone for these activities today or in the future."
As 97 percent of travelers surveyed indicated they carried a smartphone, laptop or tablet when traveling, it's not surprising that many of them want to use their mobile devices to facilitate or enhance their travel experiences.
Wayfinding topped travelers' wishlists, as 57 percent of respondents indicated they want mobile applications to help them navigate through airports. Half of the travelers surveyed also said they want to use mobile phones for such activities as boarding a plane or entering a business lounge.
Travel disruptions are sometimes unavoidable, but when they happen 53 percent of traveler respondents indicated they "definitely" expect an airline to notify them via a smartphone app or a phone call, while 51 percent said they expect an email notification. More than half, 57 percent, indicated they "definitely" expect "personalized rearrangements," and 55 percent said they expect airlines automatically to rebook them on the next flight, the survey showed. Rebooking through self-service kiosks was "definitely" expected by 45 percent of respondents, while 45 percent indicated they expect rebooking through self-service mobile apps.
Overall, 78 percent of travelers surveyed were "generally" satisfied with their travel experience, while half of all respondents saw room for improvement, particularly in baggage collection and security and border procedures, with which 27 percent and 25 percent, respectively, indicated dissatisfaction.