Airlines and airports spent a record $50 billion in 2018 on IT to support improvements to the passenger journey and are now beginning to enjoy the benefit of that investment. Figures published by SITA for the first time show that this investment has resulted in a significant improvement in both the satisfaction levels for passengers and average processing time.

The SITA 2019 Air Transport IT Insights show that 60 per cent of airline CIOs recorded up to a 20 per cent year-on-year improvement in passenger satisfaction. During the same period, 45 per cent of them recorded up to 20 per cent improvement in the rate of passengers processed. These strong returns on investment in technology were also seen at airports where 63 per cent of CIOs reported a year-on-year improvement of up to 20 per cent in passenger satisfaction levels while 44 per cent recorded quicker passenger processing times. Both airlines and airports also recorded an improvement in their business performance.

Matthys Serfontein, SITA president, Air Travel Solutions, said: “The good news is that the growing investment in automating the passenger journey means the industry is providing a faster, more pleasant airport experience. This is a real success story for automating the passenger journey."