Australian travellers and their Asia-Pacific counterparts are leading a global digital revolution in air travel, embracing mobile technology at every stage of their journey according to the International Air Transport Association's 2025 Global Passenger Survey.
Mobile Technology Dominates Travel Experience
The comprehensive survey, which gathered insights from more than 10,000 passengers across 200 countries, reveals that Asia-Pacific travellers are the world's most digitally advanced. They're using smartphones to handle everything from booking flights and managing payments to handling check-in, immigration, boarding, and baggage processes.
What sets Asia-Pacific passengers apart is their preference for mobile apps and digital wallets when booking and paying for travel, making them the least likely global demographic to use traditional credit cards.
Biometric Adoption Soars Despite Satisfaction Gaps
The use of biometrics and digital identity is expanding worldwide to create more seamless airport experiences, with half of all surveyed passengers now using biometric technology. Asia-Pacific travellers are the most frequent users of these systems.
While global passenger satisfaction with biometrics has reached 85 percent - its highest level ever - Asia-Pacific passengers expressed the lowest satisfaction with their biometric experience. According to the survey, they expect even faster and more seamless journeys than what current technology provides.
Demographic Differences in Digital Adoption
The survey uncovered interesting patterns in how different groups embrace travel technology. Male travellers show above-average enthusiasm for digital tools and smartphone-only journeys, while female travellers are more cautious but steadily increasing their use of airline apps.
Unsurprisingly, younger travellers up to 26 years old are the most proactive technology users, but they demand stronger privacy and security assurances. Despite their digital readiness, they're the hardest group to satisfy, with fewer reporting high satisfaction with their travel experiences.
The demand for digital integration continues to grow, with 78 percent of passengers wanting their smartphones to do more for them. Travellers envision a smartphone that combines digital wallet, digital passport, and loyalty cards to handle all booking, payment, and airport navigation processes.
"Passengers want to manage their travel the same way they manage many other aspects of their lives—on their smartphones and using digital ID," says Nick Careen, IATA's senior vice-president operations, safety and security. "As experience grows with digital processes from booking to baggage claim, the message that travellers are sending in this year's GPS is clear: they like it, and they want more of it."
However, safety remains a critical concern, with Mr Careen emphasising that cybersecurity must be core to the end-to-end digital transformation of air travel.
