Airlines and operators have increased their mobile air travel services in recent years, but the majority of airline passengers are not yet ready to start buying airline tickets from their smartphones, according to a new survey conducted by SITA.
SITA conducted its 2013 Passenger IT Trends Survey of 2,500 airline passengers at six of the world’s busiest airports, including Abu Dhabi, Atlanta, Beijing, Frankfurt, Mumbai and Sao Paulo. According to the results, more than 90 percent of respondents said technology helps them while traveling, but less than 5 percent said they would use their smartphones to book flights, check-in at airports and other mobile air travel services.
Nearly 70 percent of passengers surveyed said they had booked their airline tickets through a website, and 20 percent used a self-service kiosk to check-in on the day of their flight.
That shows that although airline passengers are becoming more tech-saavy, the usability factor when it comes to actually purchasing airfare on a mobile device still needs improvement.
“Passengers are ready but remain at the edge of really ‘going mobile.’ This year’s survey has shown that the industry should indeed offer mobile services that make it easier to book travel and manage the entire journey," said Francesco Violante, CEO of SITA. "Improving usability and utilizing the unique capabilities of smartphones is the key to increase usage. Airlines and airports that recognize this, and provide passengers with easy-to-use mobile services that improve the travel experience, will enjoy higher adoption rates."