Kiosk Check-In Gets Thumbs Up from Frankfurt Passengers

International travellers using Frankfurt Airport have a significant preference for kiosk-check-in; and checking-in a bag is not seen as a major obstacle in the self-service check-in process according to a new survey.

The new global passenger survey, which includes Frankfurt for the first time, has found that 85% of respondents at the European hub serving the most international destinations, had bags to check-in on the day of travel. Overall, 50% of those checking-in at Frankfurt on the day of the survey took the self-service option.

64% of those using self-service check-in at Frankfurt used kiosk check-in, while 34% opted for web check-in. Only 31% of Frankfurt passengers stated they did not use self-service because they had a bag to check-in while the global average was 47%.

Frankfurt’s status as an international hub is reflected in the fact that 57% of the survey respondents were in transit. Of those transit passengers who did use self-service check-in, 61% opted for kiosk and 34% used the web.

The 5th annual SITA/Air Transport World Passenger Self-Service Survey is an in-depth look at the attitudes and habits of a representative sample of the 287.6 million passengers who use Frankfurt and six other leading international airports: Beijing International Airport; Hartsfield-Jackson, Atlanta; Moscow Domodedovo; Mumbai International; OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg; and Sao Paulo Guarulhos, Brazil.

When arranging a trip, price was the number one consideration (68%) for those surveyed at Frankfurt, followed closely by flight schedule (65%) and ability to book online (62%). Lufthansa was the airline chosen by 75% of those surveyed at Frankfurt.

Top contributors to a pleasant trip for Frankfurt passengers included punctuality (72%), and prompt bag arrival (65%).

Security screening is rated the number one area for improvement by passengers at Frankfurt airport where strict government regulations are in place. The only other surveyed passengers to rate security screening as their number one issue for improvement were passengers at Hartsfield-Jackson, Atlanta.

Passengers at Frankfurt, have the ability to pass security and board flights with a mobile boarding pass and there is growing awareness of the convenience of mobile check-in with 37% of respondents expressing a desire to use it frequently or intermittently; 52% would like to use SMS travel notification frequently or intermittently; 36% would be interested in SMS travel deals; and 19% would be willing to purchase airline tickets from their mobile.

“SITA is very pleased to include Frankfurt for the first time in this year’s Passenger Self-Service Survey. Germans are among the world’s most international travellers and measuring their habits and attitudes is very important for the air transport industry,” said Boris Padovan, SITA Regional Vice-President, East and Central Europe. “The popularity of kiosk check-in among travellers using Frankfurt is vindication of the industry’s baggage improvement programmes and the initiatives undertaken at Frankfurt and other airports around the world to make bag-drop a painless part of the kiosk check-in process. Frankfurt airport and Lufthansa are among the most technologically advanced players in the air transport industry when it comes to passenger self-service.”

One-out-of-five passengers did not know whether self-service check-in was available for their flight. Another 19% claimed it was not available at all even though it was.

Online booking was used by 43% of survey respondents in Frankfurt for the trip they were taking compared to a global average of 55%. Some 39% knew that it was available but chose not to use it. The ability to book online ranks third in the list of considerations for Frankfurt passengers when arranging a trip.

The survey data is extracted from interviews with 2,490 passengers travelling on 106 airlines, conducted at the departure gates last year. Main nationalities interviewed were American, 17%; Indian, 12%; Chinese, 12%; Brazilian, 11%; German, 8%; South African, 8%; Russian, 7%; and others, 25%.

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