The Sita report highlights the urgent need for transformation, ettravelworld

Passengers have embraced digital lifestyle management finance, mobility and healthcare through their smartphones. Yet when it comes to air travel, many still face long queues, paper tickets and manual processes. According to Voice of Travellers: Insights from Sita passengers in 2025, this disconnect between lifestyle and travel experience is driving faster digital transformation across aviation.

The study, which surveyed more than 7,500 passengers before and after flights in 25 countries, highlighted travelers’ growing impatience with outdated systems. Passengers increasingly expect the convenience and pace of their Digital journey.

Simplicity, reliability and durability emerged as key expectations. Two-thirds of respondents said they wanted faster airport processing, with 42% looking for single-ticket solutions spanning the air, rail and road segments. Mobile engagement continues to rise, gaining 20 percentage points since 2020. Young, digital-native travelers are setting new benchmarks for how air travel is delivered.

“Passengers don’t resist change. They already have,” he said. “They’ve gone digital. Now it’s our turn. The future of travel isn’t just about adding technology. It’s about removing friction.”

The report found that biometric technology and digital identities were once seen as futuristic. Most passengers prefer biometric boarding gates to staff counters and around 80% conveniently store passports digitally. Two-thirds would pay for this convenience. Global digital identity adoption is projected to grow from 155 million users today to 1.27 billion by 2029.

Sustainability has also become central to traveler decision-making. Close to 90% of respondents said they would pay more for low-emission flights, with many willing to fly slower or carry less luggage to reduce their carbon footprint.

It now plays an important role in shaping travel choices. As baggage mishandling rates reach historic highs, 78% of passengers will pay for end-to-end baggage services to ensure reliability. Intermodal travel also accounts for 70% of travelers planning multi-modal trips this year.

“We ask passengers to adjust to the journey,” he said. “But we wanted to adapt to them from travel. The tools are here, digital IDs, real-time data and easier luggage.”

Sita’s Traveller’s Voice: Passengers 2025 is part of the company’s wider insight series, which also includes reports on air transport and baggage. Together, these studies provide a decade-long view of how evolving passenger expectations are changing aviation. The findings make one message clear: Travelers are ready for digital-first travel — and now the industry is ready to catch up.

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