Airports survey finds Atlanta top in passenger self-service
The explosive worldwide growth in passenger self-service is being led by the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, where self-service check-in now stands at an industry-leading benchmark of 83.8% of passengers – almost double the global average of 44% at other major international airport hubs surveyed.
According to data released today by SITA at the Airports Council International – North America Annual Conference in Austin, Texas, self-service check-in at Atlanta has grown by 215% over the last four years and 82% of passengers also prefer self-service check-in options when available.
Atlanta also stands out when it comes to mobile phone check-in which is now at 4.2% of passengers compared to less than 1% last year. This is linked to the mass adoption of smart phones by travellers, with 45% of all Atlanta interviewees carrying a smart phone compared to 19.3% last year.
The 4th SITA/Air Transport World Passenger Self-Service Survey, takes an in-depth look at the attitudes and habits of a representative sample of the 232 million passengers who use Hartsfield-Jackson, Atlanta; Mumbai International, India; Charles de Gaulle, Paris, France; Moscow Domodedovo, Russia; Sao Paulo Guarulhos, Brazil; and OR Tambo International, Johannesburg, South Africa. The data is extracted from interviews with 2,193 passengers conducted at the departure gates earlier this year.
Online booking which was already at a peak of 73.4% last year in Atlanta grew to 76.7% this year compared with 63.7% worldwide among passengers using the six leading international hubs included in this year’s survey. The most dramatic growth is seen in Web check-in where actual usage now stands at 32% compared to just 7% four years ago. Kiosk check-in also continues to grow with actual usage now at 46% compared to 32% four years ago.
When asked in 2005 what they associated most with a pleasant trip, only 22% of the passengers interviewed in Atlanta mentioned “self-service facilities”. Four years later, the percentage stands at 39.5%, well above the global average of 24.5%. Passengers at Atlanta interviewed before their departure flights earlier this year, also expressed confidence in their “future frequent use” of further innovations in the area of passenger self-service such as mobile phone check-in (22%); remote bag drop (31%); SMS notification, (45%); kiosks to report lost baggage claims (26%); and self-service transfer desks (35%).
Hartsfield-Jackson, Atlanta, is the only airport to have featured in all four surveys to date which provide a unique multi-year view of the growth in passenger self-service at the nation’s most popular airport. Overall, SITA, the specialist provider of IT solutions to airlines and airports, found 20% growth in global adoption of self-service options over the last year and that passengers are demanding improvements in security screening and airport dwell times as they check in less baggage (down from 82% in 2008 to 75.7% this year).
Catherine Mayer, SITA’s Atlanta-based Vice President for Airport Services, commented: “It is great to see an American airport leading the way for the air transport industry in these challenging economic times. Atlanta is showing by example how self-service can benefit both airlines and passengers. Self-service is now as much about convenience and choice for the consumer as it is about saving costs and maximising shared use of IT infrastructure for airlines and airports.”
