As global air travel becomes increasingly digital, with passengers worldwide embracing mobile apps and biometric identification, African travellers are still standing out from the rest of the world, preferring personal service, human connection, and trust above convenience alone.
This is the key takeaway from the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) 2025 Global Passenger Survey (GPS), which reveals that while mobile reliance and biometric adoption are reshaping travel globally, Africa remains a region where the personal touch still defines the passenger experience.
Global Shift: From Check-in Counters to Smartphones
According to IATA, more than half of global passengers (54%) now prefer to deal directly with airlines, increasingly through mobile apps. Mobile booking and digital payment options are on the rise, while the use of traditional websites continues to decline. Digital wallets have surged in popularity, and 78% of global travellers now saying they want a single smartphone app that integrates a digital passport, wallet, and loyalty cards.
Meanwhile, biometric adoption is accelerating worldwide. Half of all passengers have now used facial recognition or fingerprint scanning during their journey, with satisfaction levels exceeding 85%. For many, the convenience of skipping document checks outweighs lingering privacy concerns.
Africa: Where Relationships Still Matter
Yet the survey shows that African travellers stand out. They are the most likely to book through airline offices or call centres, preferring direct human interaction over digital self-service. It’s a distinctive pattern that reflects both cultural and infrastructural realities.
While internet penetration and smartphone use are growing rapidly across the continent, many passengers still value reassurance and reliability from a trusted airline representative, particularly for complex itineraries, cross-border travel, or visa-related issues.
African passengers also face the world’s most challenging border and visa requirements, often dealing with lengthy paperwork and in-person interviews. These barriers, according to IATA, are a major obstacle to seamless travel and a potential brake on aviation growth. Simplifying and digitising these processes could unlock new opportunities for airlines and passengers alike.
Satisfaction High Despite Challenges
Interestingly, despite these hurdles, Africa ranks second globally in passenger satisfaction. This suggests that travellers appreciate the care and professionalism of the human service they receive, even when the travel process is less automated.
As one airline executive recently noted, “African passengers want to be seen and heard. Technology is welcome, but it must complement, not replace, the personal service that builds trust.”
Bridging the Digital Divide
The contrast between Africa and other regions is striking. Across Asia-Pacific, passengers lead the world in digital adoption: they are the most likely to book and pay through mobile apps and digital wallets, and among the earliest adopters of biometric verification, although their satisfaction with these systems remains relatively low. This tech-forward group expects constant innovation and ever faster, more seamless journeys.
In Europe, travellers remain cautious and traditional. They still prefer airline websites and credit or debit card payments and are the least likely of all regions to have used biometrics in the past year. Concerns about data sharing and digital identity persist, reflecting Europe’s strong focus on privacy and regulatory oversight.
North American passengers, by contrast, prize convenience above all else. They rely heavily on airline websites and are among the most frequent users of biometrics, yet they report lower satisfaction overall, driven by privacy worries and inconsistent experiences.
Meanwhile, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions are rapidly redefining what digital travel looks like. Middle Eastern travellers demonstrate strong loyalty to airlines and airports that invest in digital innovation and premium service, while maintaining high satisfaction levels.
A Future Defined by Balance
IATA’s findings make one thing clear: the future of air travel will be increasingly digital. But for Africa, that future must also be inclusive, bridging technology with trust, efficiency with empathy.
As the continent’s aviation sector continues to modernise, its greatest strength may lie not in how quickly it adopts technology, but in how wisely it integrates it, keeping the human touch at the heart of every journey.
