According to Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Operations, Safety and Security, “Passengers want to manage their travel the same way they manage many other aspects of their lives—on their smartphones and using digital ID.” He emphasised that while travellers want more digitalisation across all stages of travel, building trust remains crucial, noting that cybersecurity must be central to the industry’s digital transformation.
Mobile reliance increases across the journey
Mobile devices are now at the core of the passenger travel experience. Travellers are increasingly using smartphones for booking, payment, check-in, airport processes and baggage management.
Key findings include:
- 54% of passengers prefer to deal directly with airlines, increasingly via mobile apps.
- Airline websites remain the top booking method (31%), although down from 37% in 2024.
- Mobile web apps rose to 19% from 16%, driven largely by younger travellers.
Payment behaviours are also shifting. Card payments remain dominant at 72%, but this is a notable drop from 79% in 2024. Digital wallet usage increased from 20% to 28%, and instant payment methods such as IATA Pay grew from 6% to 8%.
Passengers expect more mobile integration, with 78% wanting a single smartphone solution combining a digital wallet, digital passport and loyalty cards. Use of electronic bag tags also increased from 28% in 2024 to 35% in 2025.
Biometrics gain traction but require trust
Use of biometrics at airports is expanding, with satisfaction at its highest level to date:
- 50% of passengers have used biometrics during travel, up from 46% in 2024.
- 85% of users are satisfied with their biometric experience.
- 74% would share biometric data if it replaced the need to show documents at checkpoints.
However, privacy remains a concern. Of those hesitant to share biometric data, 42% would reconsider if data protection was guaranteed.
Careen highlighted that for a fully digital travel experience, governments must begin issuing digital passports that can be securely recognised across borders, enabling faster and more efficient identity validation.
Regional insights
The survey also reveals notable differences in digital adoption and satisfaction across regions:
- Africa: High satisfaction and preference for personal interaction, but border formalities remain a major barrier.
- Asia-Pacific: Most digitally advanced and highest satisfaction; strong adoption of mobile and digital wallets, but lower satisfaction with biometric use.
- Europe: Most cautious about biometrics and data sharing; prefers direct airline websites and traditional card payments.
- North America: Prioritises convenience but records low satisfaction; high biometric use but strong privacy concerns.
- Latin America & Caribbean: Value personal service; lower biometric use but strong willingness to adopt; lowest satisfaction overall.
- Middle East: Highly loyal to preferred airlines and airports; strong digital engagement and high satisfaction levels.
For travel and aviation professionals, the survey reinforces the industry-wide shift toward mobile-led, digital identity-based travel. It also underscores that while travellers want more self-service and seamless processing, delivering trust, secure data handling and clear communication will be essential to broad adoption.
As airlines, airports and governments continue to advance digital transformation, the 2025 GPS signals that travellers are ready for a fully digital journey—provided it is secure, reliable and privacy-focused
Tags: Nick Careen, IATA
