Three quarters of airline passengers carry a smartphone, and despite 90% of them saying technology helps them when travelling most have yet to make the transition to using their devices for their travel needs, reveals the annual  SITA/Air Transport World Passenger IT Trends Survey.

This year’s survey finds that less than 5% of air travellers use mobile for services such as check-in and booking. The majority of passengers (78%) cites usability concerns and limitations of the device for not using mobile for travel.

More than half of the respondents (69%) booked their travel through a website, and 20% used a kiosk for check-in on the day of travel. SITAsays these figures are in line with the levels as last year’s, suggesting the first wave of self-service technology is a firmly established part of the travel experience.

The next wave will be the widespread adoption of mobile services, as global travellers have listed  information services as what they want most on their mobiles. 63% said they would use their mobile for flight search, 58% to check flight status, 29% to receive promotions, and 37% to buy tickets.

SITA stated the unique capabilities of smartphone technology, such as localisation and personalisation, provide the ability to offer a seamless travel experience to passengers. Both airlines and airports have the opportunity to provide much more personalized and intuitive services at the right time and stage of the journey.

“Technology has become an indispensible travel tool for the vast majority of today’s passengers. Our survey this year has seen 90% of them say that technology has helped them when travelling. The opportunity for further improvements is here now – with smartphones in their hands passengers are equipped to use sophisticated mobile services,” said Francesco Violante, CEO, SITA.

“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. 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 and passenger satisfaction,” he added.

The survey included 2,489 passengers from more than 70 countries who passed through Abu Dhabi International; Beijing Capital International; Chhatrapati Shivaji International, Mumbai; Frankfurt International; GRU Sao Paulo International and Hartsfield-Jackson, Atlanta.

* Photo courtesy of SITA