Air travellers have identified airport security screening process and delays as two of their biggest pain points when travelling.
The passengers, in 2019 Global Passenger Survey released Wednesday, showed passengers’ demand for more technology to improve their travel experience, and in turn, loyalty to airlines and destinations.
According to the survey, having to remove personal items was identified as a pain point by 60 per cent of the travellers. About 48 per cent complained about the removal of laptops and large electronic devices, while 41 per cent frowned at variations in screening processes at different airports.
To improve the boarding experience, 60 per cent of passengers sought more efficient queuing at the boarding gate. About 51 per cent sought not needing to get a bus to the aircraft, and 46 per cent asked for more bin space for cabin luggage.
To improve the connection experience, the top three desires from travellers are: not having to go through security at the transfer airport (60 per cent), not having to pick up and reclaim their bag at the transfer airport (59 per cent), and not having to pass immigration at the transfer airport (55 per cent).
The survey further showed that 80 per cent of passengers want to wait no longer than three minutes to drop off a bag. This increased to 10 minutes for queuing at immigration or customs for 79 per cent of travellers. And only two per cent would accept a waiting time longer than 20 minutes.
Passengers, about 74 per cent of them, also want to wait no longer than 10 minutes for baggage delivery. And almost none wants to wait longer than 20 minutes. The survey found that for nearly three quarters of passengers, speed was the main benefit of using automated immigration gates or kiosks. A similar number, 72 per cent, gave the overall experience of automated immigration processing a thumb up.
The 2019 survey results were based on 10,877 responses from passengers across 166 countries. The survey, courtesy of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), acts as the voice of the passenger, providing objective and in-depth insights into the preferences and behaviours of air travelers around the world, therefore, helping to guide industry initiatives.
