SINGAPORE, 7 November 2025: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released the results of its 2025 Global Passenger Survey (GPS), highlighting two key trends that are redefining the passenger travel experience: Mobile reliance is rising, and biometric adoption is accelerating.
“Passengers want to manage their travel the same way they manage many other aspects of their lives — on their smartphones and using digital ID,” said IATA’s Senior Vice President Operations, Safety and Security, Nick Careen. “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.
“There is an important caveat: the need to continue building trust, so that cybersecurity remains a priority. Cybersecurity must be core to the end-to-end digital transformation of how we book, pay, and experience air travel”.
Mobile-reliance rising
The GPS confirms that mobile devices have become central to the passenger journey. Travellers are increasingly using their smartphones to book flights, manage payments and loyalty programs, and handle check-in, immigration, boarding, and baggage processes. Enthusiasm for mobile-enabled travel is at an all-time high.
Booking and payment habits are shifting toward mobile channels. Over half of travellers (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%, but this was down from 37% in 2024. In 2025, web apps were the preferred choice for 19% of travellers, trending upwards from the 16% in 2024. This move was led by younger travellers (25%), which is an indication that the trend of shifting to mobile options is likely to strengthen over time.
Payment preferences are also evolving. While credit and debit cards remain the dominant payment method (72%), there has been a significant decline from 2024 (79%). Digital wallet use has increased significantly (from 20% in 2024 to 28% in 2025), and instant payment methods, such as IATA Pay, have also grown (from 6% in 2024 to 8% in 2025).
Passengers want their smartphones to do more for them: 78% of passengers want to use a smartphone that combines a digital wallet, digital passport, and loyalty cards to book, pay, and navigate airport processes. The 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 the check-in process.
Biometric adoption accelerates
The use of biometrics at airports is expanding, and passenger satisfaction with biometrics has reached its highest level yet.
Half of passengers (50%) have used biometrics at some point in their airport journey, up from 46% in 2024. Usage is most common at security (44%), exit immigration (41%), and entry immigration (35%). Notably, the use of biometrics has risen by nearly 20 percentage points since 2022.
Passengers who have used biometrics report high levels of satisfaction, with 85% saying they are happy with the experience.
74% of travellers say they would be willing to share their biometric information if they could skip showing a passport or boarding pass at checkpoints such as check-in, security, border control, and boarding.
Privacy remains a concern, but there is room to build trust. 42% of passengers who are currently unwilling to share their biometric info say they would reconsider if data privacy were assured.
Regional trends
Africa
African passengers value the human touch; they are most likely to book through airline offices or call centres. Their satisfaction levels are among the highest globally, ranking second overall. Yet they face the most significant border challenges, with visa and immigration complexity cited as key barriers. Simplifying these processes could unlock major growth.
Asia-Pacific
Asia-Pacific travellers are the most digitally savvy, with the highest overall satisfaction levels among global travellers. 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. This tech-forward group expects ever faster and more seamless journeys.
Europe
European passengers are the most traditional and cautious. They prefer to book directly through airline websites and typically pay by credit or debit cards. They are the least likely of all regions to have used biometrics in the past year and remain more hesitant to share data in advance or replace travel documents with digital identification. Despite this cautious approach to technology, European travellers rank as the fourth most satisfied globally.
North America
North American travellers prioritise convenience above all else. They are the most likely to choose flights based on total journey time and fewer layovers, and they rely heavily on airline websites for booking. Despite this focus on convenience, they are among the least satisfied travellers globally, ranking second from last across all regions. Biometrics are widely used, but privacy concerns are the strongest globally. Efficiency and trust in data security are top priorities for this region.
Latin America & the Caribbean
Latin American and Caribbean travellers value personal interaction when booking and prefer to pay with credit or debit cards. They are more likely than any other region to obtain visas from a consulate or embassy. Although they use biometrics less frequently, they demonstrate a strong willingness to adopt the technology and report high satisfaction when they do.
Middle East
Loyalty matters to Middle East passengers. They favour airports with strong service reputations and their preferred airlines. They are highly digitally engaged, with widespread use of digital wallets and strong enthusiasm for smartphone-based travel credentials. They are among the most satisfied travellers globally, ranking third overall. Loyalty and service quality remain top priorities in this region.
> View the detailed regional trends (pdf)
About the GPS
GPS results are based on over 10,000 responses from more than 200 countries. The survey provides insight into what passengers would like from their air travel experience.
Visit the Global Passenger Survey page to access the complete analysis.
(Source: IATA)
