Mumbai: Smartphones and biometric adoption will be the future of air travel as more travelers are managing every stage of their journey using smartphones while the use of biometrics and digital identity is expanding to enable more seamless airport processing.
The latest global passenger survey by International Air Transport Association (IATA) has revealed that mobile and digital ID will be the future of air travel. It confirmed that mobile devices have become central to the passenger journey and travelers are increasingly using their smartphones to book flights, manage payments and loyalty programs, and handle check-in, immigration, boarding, and baggage processes.
According to the survey, over half of travelers (54%) want to deal directly with airlines, and they are doing that increasingly with mobile apps. Airline websites remained the most popular booking preference at 31%, down from 37% in 2024. In 2025, web apps were the preferred choice for 19% of travelers, trending upwards from the 16% in 2024. This move was led by younger travelers, comprising 25%, indicating that the trend of shifting to mobile options is likely to strengthen over time. Payment preferences are also witnessing evolution as digital wallet use increased significantly from 20% in 2024 to 28% in 2025. Although credit and debit cards remain dominant with 72% usage, it marked a significant drop from 79% in 2024.
Notably, passengers want their smartphones to do more for them with 78% of passengers wanting to use a smartphone that combines a digital wallet, digital passport, and loyalty cards to book, pay, and navigate airport processes. Use of electronic bag tags is also on the rise, increasing from 28% in 2024 to 35% in 2025, allowing passengers to generate their bag tags directly from a mobile device during check-in.
Similarly, the use of biometrics at airports is expanding, and passenger satisfaction with biometrics has reached its highest level yet. The survey revealed that half of passengers have used biometrics at some point in their airport journey, with the most common usage at security, exit immigration and entry immigration. Passengers, who have used biometrics, reported high levels of satisfaction with 85% saying they are happy with the experience.
Notably, 74% of travelers said they would be willing to share their biometric information if it means they can skip showing a passport or boarding pass at checkpoints like check-in, security, border control, and boarding. Privacy remains a concern but there is room to build trust as 42% of passengers, who are currently unwilling to share their biometric info, say they would reconsider if data privacy was assured.
Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice president operations for safety and security, said, “Passengers want to manage their travel the same way they manage many other aspects of their lives on their smartphones and using digital ID. As experience grows with digital processes from booking to baggage claim, the message that travelers are sending in this year’s survey is clear that they like it, and they want more of it.”
IATA's GPS 2025 highlighted that Asia-Pacific travelers are the most digitally savvy, with the highest overall satisfaction levels among global travelers. They lead in using mobile apps and digital wallets to book and pay for travel, and are the least likely to use credit cards. They are also among the most frequent users of biometrics, though their satisfaction with these experiences is the lowest.
The survey highlighted that male travelers are typically more enthusiastic adopters of digital tools, adopting airline apps more quickly than women. They show above-average interest in smartphone-only journeys and also use biometrics slightly more across travel processes. On the other hand, female travelers are somewhat more cautious adopters of digital travel solutions but are steadily increasing their use of airline apps in line with broader trends. They are more likely to consider airline reputation and past experiences when making decisions, showing a stronger preference for reliability and trust.
The younger travelers are the most proactive in using technology to enhance their journeys but want stronger assurances on privacy and security. According to IATA's survey, they are far more likely to book flights through apps than older age groups, who still rely on websites. They also showed higher preference for digital wallets and biometrics over traditional documents.
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