Airport self-service users grow

AIR TRAVEL:A majority of air passengers is now prepared to accept automated security checks and boarding gates, according to a new survey.

Acceptance of self-service technology is growing beyond traditional areas as passengers demonstrate their ease with online, kiosk and mobile-phone services, the survey by air transport specialists SITA claims.

Seventy per cent of travellers say automated security checks are acceptable, up from 58 per cent last year. Demand for automatic boarding gates is up by a similar amount.

Two-thirds of respondents say they would use kiosks for other purposes such as booking or changing a flight, printing bag tags or claiming delayed baggage. SITA’s research finds a substantial increase in the popularity of airline websites to book hotels, up from 21 per cent in 2009 to 38 per cent this year. Some 35 per cent use airline sites to book a car rental, up from 19 per cent.

74 per cent of those interviewed book their flights online and 61 per cent check in online.