Technology and In-Flight Entertainment Make Flyers Happy

Technology is playing a major role in improving the air travel experience.

The majority, or 78 percent, of flyers are satisfied with the travel experience today, according to SITA’s Annual Passenger Survey. Findings are based on an online survey with 6,277 respondents representing all global regions and age groups.

If that seems high given the complaints that most U.S. travelers groan about after a flight delay, lost baggage, or unappetizing airport meal then it won’t be surprising to find that the Americas had the highest proportion of dissatisfied passengers.

Almost a third, or 28 percent, of travelers from the Americas would like to see improvements, specifically when it comes to collecting baggage, transferring to a connecting flight, or organizing ground transportation. That’s slightly higher than the global dissatisfaction average of 22 percent.

According to the report, travelers from around the world agree that technology can further improve the travel experience. They suggest priority investments go towards making it easier to compare airfares (54 percent) as well as improving real-time flight information (52 percent) and in-flight Wi-Fi (52 percent).

These demands are logical in light of current traveler habits.

Almost all passengers, 97 percent, carry their own devices when traveling and 18 percent of passengers travel with a smartphone, laptop and tablet. Given their availability, more than half of passengers, 53 percent, expect to be informed of flight problems without having to seek them out.

Although having personal data be too available is often a concern for many travelers, the respondents of this survey were largely open to the idea. Seven out of ten passengers would be happy to share their location and personal data with travel providers and comfortable with staff using wearable technology.