The modern journey increasingly begins not at an airport counter but in the palm of a hand. New findings from the Global Passenger Survey by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) show travellers quietly rewriting the rules of movement, trading queues for QR codes, paper trails for pixels, and wallets for smartphones. Yet amid the rush toward frictionless travel, one truth remains intact. People still want people.
The Airport in Your Pocket
The smartphone is no longer a travel accessory. It is becoming the travel experience itself. According to the survey, 73 per cent of passengers now book the majority of their flights online, with 50 per cent using direct digital channels such as airline websites and mobile apps. Airline apps, in particular, are gaining ground faster than traditional websites, signalling a decisive shift toward mobile-first travel behaviour.
Payment habits are also transforming. While credit and debit cards still dominate at 72 per cent usage, their share is declining as digital wallets rise to 28 per cent, nearly doubling their footprint in just a few years. Instant payment options, though still emerging at 8 per cent, are steadily entering the mainstream.
Passengers are not only booking digitally; they want their phones to do more. 78 per cent of global travellers say they would like a single smartphone platform that combines a digital wallet, digital passport and loyalty cards to manage booking, payment and airport navigation. Among travellers aged 25 and under, that figure climbs sharply to 87 per cent, underscoring the expectations of a generation that sees travel and technology as inseparable.
Biometrics, online check-in, real-time baggage tracking and electronic bag tags are also recording strong growth, all tied to one central demand: convenience measured in minutes saved rather than features added.
Africa’s Measured Embrace
The digital tide, however, does not arrive uniformly. Across Africa, the survey reveals a more nuanced reality. While mobile adoption is rising, 38 per cent of African passengers prefer bank transfers for payment, more than double the 18 per cent global average. At the same time, 82 per cent cite visa complexity and cost as a major deterrent to travel, compared to 72 per cent globally.
Human interaction also retains a stronger foothold on the continent. Eleven per cent of African travellers still book flights through airline offices or call centres, nearly three times the global average of four per cent. Technology is welcomed, but reassurance is often sought through conversation rather than code.
Generation Swipe With Caution
Younger passengers are leading the digital surge, but they are not blindly embracing it. Travellers under 25 show the highest preference for booking through airline apps and using digital wallets, yet they also register the strongest concerns about data privacy and how long their personal information is retained. Convenience, for this generation, is conditional. Speed must coexist with security.
The Travel Agent’s Reinvention
For travel agents, these figures do not signal disappearance but transformation. With nearly three-quarters of travellers booking online, the agent’s role is shifting from ticket issuer to travel interpreter. In markets where 82 per cent of passengers are deterred by visa complexity, guidance becomes a service that algorithms cannot easily replace.
Agents who integrate digital communication, mobile payments, and instant itinerary sharing while retaining personalised advisory services are likely to find renewed relevance. The opportunity lies not in resisting technology but in translating it into clarity and confidence for travellers navigating an increasingly automated system.
Airlines and the Architecture of Trust
For airlines and airports, the numbers point toward a delicate balance. Expanding biometric infrastructure, strengthening cybersecurity, and maintaining flexible payment options are no longer optional investments. At the same time, the continued reliance on physical offices and call centres in regions such as Africa shows that automation cannot entirely replace accessibility.
A Journey of Two Speeds
Travel in 2025 unfolded at two speeds at once. One is fast, silent, and digital, reflected in the 73 per cent online booking rate and the rapid climb of mobile payments. The other is deliberate and conversational, visible in the 11 per cent of African passengers who still prefer in-person or phone bookings and the overwhelming concern over visa processes.
The industry’s challenge is not to choose between these paths but to merge them. Even as travellers swipe, scan, and synchronise their journeys, many still value the reassurance of a knowledgeable human voice confirming that everything is in order.
