BWild |
November 18, 2014
A recent survey from SITA has shown that smartphones are being used by travelers in Mexico more than globally.
The results of a new survey from SITA, the specialist in air transportation IT technology, have been released, showing that Mexican air passengers are using their smartphones and other forms of mobile technology in order to improve their experience as they travel.
The results of the 2014 SITA/AIR Transport World Passenger Survey offered considerable insight.
It showed that among passengers from Mexico, 89 percent carried mobile technology such as smartphone with them when they travel. This is notable, as the global average was recorded to be 81 percent. Moreover, Mexican travelers are also continually seeking new ways to be able to use their favorite devices for various purposes throughout the length of their travels. There were approximately 1,300 people who participated in the survey throughout the Americas.
The mobile technology survey looked into a number of different aspects of device use among travelers.
It examined check-ins via smartphones and found that in Mexico, it is likely that within the next two to three years, the use of that service will nearly double. At the moment, 31 percent of passengers in the country are already using mobile devices to check in, but 61 percent of the participants said that they were likely to use it more often in the future.
Among the respondents from Mexico, 76 percent said that they would be using mobile boarding passes in the future. The current rate of usage is registered to be 54 percent. Moreover, among Mexican passengers, 58 percent said that they would be interested in using their smartphones for purchasing airline tickets as well as other services that are linked to travel in some way. The regional average, on the other hand, was only 48 percent.
The SITA Latin America vice president of sales, Alex Covarrubias, spoke in Cancun at the Airports Council International Latin American-Caribbean Annual Assembly with regards to the results of the mobile device usage research, and said that “SITA’s survey highlights the positive influence that mobile technology is having on Mexican passengers’ travel experiences.”
Passengers flying Alaska Airlines will now be able to use these new services at the L.A. International Airport
Travelers are already using mobile commerce based kiosks to be able to check in through certain airlines at the Los Angeles International Airport, but these services are about to start expanding quite significantly over the next three years, starting with Alaska Airlines.
Both airports and airlines are expected to begin making considerable investments into m-commerce.
A new survey has shown that mobile commerce kiosks are expected to take off at many different airports and through a range of airlines. In fact, the survey showed that almost 90 percent of airports intend to make an investment into this type of mobile technology within the upcoming three years. This will be good news for tech savvy travelers who are rapidly growing in numbers.
These kiosks use mobile commerce technology to allow a passenger to check in using a smartphone.
Using this mobile technology, some of the largest airports in the world are giving travelers a way to obtain a boarding pass without having to check in with a gate agent. A recent survey conducted by SITA, a multinational technology firm, has shown that these kiosks are currently serving about 2.4 billion passengers every year. According to the chief exec at SITA, Francesco Violante, “This is the age of the connected traveler with nearly all passengers carrying mobiles, tablets and other devices.”
Some additional key findings from this survey have shown the following:
• Almost 90 percent of airport operators that participated in the study said that they had intentions to invest in kiosks, as well as self-boarding stations and self-serve bag dropping stations within the span of the next three years. This year, alone, airports are expecting to spend about $6.8 billion on tech.
• Nearly half of the airlines that participated in the survey are able to update passengers about flight issues – such as cancellations or delays – via mobile device. By 2017, that figure is expected to rise to 97 percent.
• Under 5 percent of passengers around the globe are currently using their mobile commerce to check in, but that rate is expected to reach the 15 percent mark by 2017.
