Mobile, Digital ID Key Trends Redefining Passenger Travel -- IATA 2025 Global Survey

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 (Bernama) -- The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has identified two key trends redefining the passenger travel experience, according to its 2025 Global Passenger Survey (GPS).

In a statement today, IATA said the survey was based on over 10,000 responses from more than 200 countries. It revealed that travellers are managing every stage of their journey using smartphones, or what it calls a rise in mobile reliance.

The other trend is accelerating biometric adoption, with biometrics and digital identity enabling seamless airport processing.

“Passengers want to manage their travel the same way they manage many other aspects of their lives — on their smartphones and using digital ID,” IATA senior vice-president for operations, safety and security Nick Careen said in the statement.

“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,” Careen said.

But there is an important caveat — the need to continue building trust, so cybersecurity remains a priority.

“Cybersecurity must be core to the end-to-end digital transformation of how we book, pay, and experience air travel,” Careen said.

The statement said 54 per cent of travellers want to deal directly with airlines using mobile apps, and book and pay via this channel.

Payment preferences are also evolving, with digital wallet use increasing to 28 per cent in 2025 from 20 per cent in 2024. Instant payment methods, such as IATA Pay, grew to eight per cent in 2025 from six per cent in 2024.

While credit and debit cards remain dominant at 72 per cent, there is a drop from 79 per cent in 2024.

Biometrics use at airports is expanding, and passenger satisfaction has reached its highest level yet.

The statement said 50 per cent use biometrics at some point in their airport journey, up from 46 per cent in 2024.

“Passengers who have used biometrics report high levels of satisfaction with 85 per cent saying they are happy with the experience,” IATA said.

-- BERNAMA