Airline travellers in the UAE are increasingly using self-service technology to better manage each step of their journey and to make the most of their time in the airport to relax, shop and dine. A total of 48 per cent of UAE travellers use self-service technology where available rather than interact with a person, providing them with more control over their journey.
The 2016 SITA Passenger IT Trends Survey, carried out by global IT provider SITA across the UAE’s main airports and representing 98 per cent of the UAE’s passenger traffic, showed that increasingly passengers use self-service technology to book (93 per cent), check-in (44 per cent) and access their boarding pass (61 per cent).
This trend is expected to accelerate next year. The survey shows that self-service usage across the UAE is predicted to surge 36 per cent over the next year with a majority of travellers opting to manage their own booking, check-in and boarding using either a kiosk, website or a mobile app. Passengers in the UAE rely heavily on technology during dwell time to access services available in the airport. A total of 72 per cent used their mobile or went online to do airport shopping.