70% of air passengers want self-service for more steps of the journey, says a survey conducted by SITA, a company specialized in air transport - created and owned by the air transport community.
According to the survey, airline passengers are interested in taking the DIY approach for their travel arrangements.
“While online booking and check-in are nearing their full potential, there is now a clear demand from the travelling public for self-service on other steps of the passenger journey”.
According to SITA, among the steps passengers are interested in are automated security checks, booking/changing a flight; purchasing additional services (e.g. baggage fees, meals), printing bag tags; self-transfer; claiming delayed baggage and automatic boarding gates.
SITA‘s survey states that half of the survey respondents who checked in at a desk rather than online or through a kiosk, did so because of the need to check in a bag. About 70% of interviewed passengers would tag their own bag if they could and about 75% would be interested in off-airport bag drop-off but only a third would be willing to pay for such a service.
The survey data is extracted from interviews with 2,490 passengers travelling on 106 airlines, conducted at the departure gates earlier this year. Main nationalities interviewed were, American 17%; Indian 12%; Chinese 12%; Brazilian 11%; German 8%; others 23%.
While it is a fact that many passengers, frustrated with endless lines and long waits at the airport, might feel the need to take on the process, they shouldn’t have to. Airlines could do a much better job at getting their paying customers processed quickly and efficiently.
Considering that the company conducting the survey was “created and it is owned by the air transport community,” here’s an excuse for airlines, in lieu of adding new fees, to cut services and getting passengers to do most of the work. What would be next, make do without flight attendants, self-service aboard the airplane?
Comments
I think it is the matter of standing in line and waiting without being able to do anything versus actively processing yourself. Also sometimes it goes faster for simple tasks if you know what you are doing.
I've been using the self-serve kioks for as many years as they have been in service - which was probably the late 1990s. I wish every airline and every airport had them.
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