Aviation Industry Prioritizes Contactless Solutions in New Vision-Box Survey

Vision-Box has shared the results of a survey that highlights the impact of COVID-19 on the international air travel industry. The company polled 37 airlines, airports, and government agencies to generate its results.

A plurality (37.3 percent) of those respondents believe that a vaccine is the one thing that is most likely to restore consumer trust in air travel. However, others identified some of the more proactive things that the industry can do to repair that confidence. 34.9 percent believe that a contactless passenger processing experience could convince people to come back, while another 21.7 percent called for additional health and safety measures.

Facial recognition was particularly popular in that regard, with 63 percent reporting that they are interested in deploying the technology in some capacity. 24 percent are already using facial recognition, while 12 percent currently rely on fingerprint biometrics.   

Most airports are planning to make the passenger experience a primary focus of their digital transformations in the next few years. 26 percent listed touchless security as their top priority. Others will emphasize passenger flow (24 percent), remote registration and check-in (18 percent), and the adoption of an identity management platform (13 percent). 

“The industry is depending on secure biometric technology for automation and safe socially distant travel experiences for travelers in a post COVID-world,” said Vision-Box CEO Miguel Leitmann. “We expect this trend to be picked up across the world in the coming months.”

In light of the disruption, the respondents were concerned about their short and long-term revenue prospects, especially if they need to adopt more rigorous cleaning schedules to meet updated health and safety regulations. The vast majority (94 percent) nevertheless consider contactless screening technology to be an immediate investment priority.

The WTTC has issued a new set of health and safety guidelines for the travel industry, while Thales has argued that automated screening and social distancing will be part of the new normal in the aviation industry.

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July 3, 2020 – by Eric Weiss