Passengers embrace technology to improve their journey

Air passengers are embracing technology, including biometrics and artificial intelligence, to speed up and simplify their journeys, according to the latest Global Passenger Survey from the International Air Transport Association.

In the 2026 survey, which is based on 10,000 responses from passengers in more than 200 countries, nearly six in 10 passengers questioned had experienced biometrics at least once in the last 12 months. Biometrics involves passengers confirming their identity and travel documents before reaching the airport, allowing them to pass through airport checkpoints using facial recognition instead of showing a passport or boarding pass.

Satisfaction levels with the technology reached the highest level yet, with 87 per cent of those questioned saying they were happy with the experience and 78 per cent willing to share their biometric information if it removed the need to show a passport or boarding pass at checkpoints.

Interest is also increasing in the use of digital passports for online check-in instead of the physical passport, with 84 per cent of those questioned interested in this capability. Some 82 per cent would share a digital passport with an airline at booking if this enabled more personalised services, such as information on visa requirements, while 82 per cent expressed interested in using a smartphone combining a digital wallet, digital passport and loyalty cards to book, pay and navigate airport processes.

Passengers remain wary about data breaches with biometrics (59 per cent), information being shared with other organisations (49 per cent) and a lack of clarity about how their information is handled (41 per cent), however.

Meanwhile, 49 per cent of passengers questioned had used AI to search for travel planning, including searching for flights to a specific destination (21 per cent), looking for the cheapest flights (19 per cent) and getting inspiration for places to travel (17 per cent).

Immigration requirements are a growing barrier to travel, however, with the Global Passenger Survey finding 43 per cent of passengers have been put off from visiting a destination, citing complexity in requirements (53 per cent), privacy (17 per cent) and cost (17 per cent) issues. Passengers want visa processes to be faster, earlier in the process and digital.

In addition, 72 per cent of those passengers who had been discouraged from travelling to a destination due to geopolitical conflict cited safety as the main reason, with 13 per cent expressing uncertainty whether travel was possible.

The report revealed wide regional variations, with Asia-Pacific travellers reporting the highest level of satisfaction and being the second most willing (after North America) to use biometrics, although they are concerned about data breaches. European travellers, meanwhile, had the lowest level of satisfaction and were the most cautious in adopting digital technology.

In a development designed to increase trust in biometrics, Air New Zealand and Hong Kong International Airport are the first organisations to receive IATA’s One ID Certification, which is a set of industry standards for using digital identity and biometrics across the passenger journey.

“Digital identity can make travel much simpler for passengers, but only if everyone involved in the journey trusts how others verify data, handle biometric data and protect privacy. One ID Certification gives them that assurance,” says Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice-president operations, safety and security.

Hong Kong International Airport has been at the forefront of global biometric implementation, with more than 93 million passengers using its Flight Token self-service biometric identification system since it was launched in 2021, allowing them to travel through airport checkpoints using facial recognition. Earlier this year, Air New Zealand successfully demonstrated the use of digital identity across borders in a trial with HKIA.