Mobile technology is fundamentally reshaping how air travellers – particularly digital natives and first-time flyers – experience and perceive their journeys.
This is one of the key takeaways from the Societe Internationale de Telecommunications Aeronautiques (SITA), which has published its Passenger IT Insights 2025 survey report into travellers’ expectations and experiences with border checks as well as airline and airport check-in and other processes in the journey chain.
Now in its 16th year, the report asked more than 7 500 passengers around the world what matters most to them.
This, as today’s connected passengers expect seamless, personalised, and real-time interactions throughout their travel experience, from booking to boarding and beyond.
Digital natives, who are accustomed to instant access and on-demand services, increasingly view their smartphones as essential travel companions.
According to the report, the modern traveller now values simplicity, with expectations of shorter wait times, the ability to make one booking across different modes of travel, and access to real-time updates in one place.
It notes that trust has become another crucial factor, built through baggage visibility, secure digital identities (IDs), and confidence in how personal data is managed.
Meanwhile, it found that sustainability is “no longer a side note for passengers, it’s part of the decision to fly.”
SITA points out that a significant shift is also underway in who is driving air travel growth. “Air travel growth isn’t being driven by frequent flyers taking more trips – it’s coming from people flying for the first time,” says CEO David Lavorel.
According to the International Air Transport Association, passenger growth stood at 4.6% year-on-year in August 2025, yet the average number of flights per passenger remained stable at 3.8, compared to 3.7 in 2024 – confirming that new travellers are fuelling the increase.
These first-time flyers, raised on digital convenience, have little tolerance for outdated, manual processes. “They’re used to seamless digital experiences in every other part of life — why should that be any different when they travel?” says Lavorel.
SITA points out that this evolution in passenger behaviour is opening new business opportunities for the aviation industry, as 66% of travellers say they would pay for faster, more convenient airport processing, up from 62% in 2024.
Some 78% are willing to pay for end-to-end baggage tracking – still regarded as the ultimate measure of trust in air travel.
Digital identity adoption is also rising sharply, with 79% of passengers ready to use mobile-based digital IDs, up from 74% last year, and 66% even willing to pay for the service.
Sustainability remains a top priority too, with nearly nine in 10 passengers ready to pay more or modify their behaviour to reduce carbon emissions.
At the same time, the uptake of digital tools continues to climb rapidly. “The biggest jumps we’ve seen this year are mobile use for booking (+5pp), bag collection (+6pp), and onboard WiFi (+4pp). Kiosk and eGate use at identity control also rose 4pp from 2024, reaching 39%,” says Lavorel.
“In short, passengers are asking the industry to invest in cutting delays. Making identity and document checks digital. Making real-time updates the default. Joining up journeys across modes. And turning baggage into a predictable, visible service. When data moves smoothly between passengers, airlines, airports and ground handlers, journeys flow.”
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