Mumbai Intl airport hi-flier on web check-ins

MUMBAI, INDIA: A global benchmark survey of leading airport hubs has found that the rates of online booking and web check-in are among the highest in the world at Mumbai International Airport.

The fourth annual SITA/Air Transport World Passenger Self-Service Survey (PSS) found that the preference for online booking was higher (77.9 per cent) among Mumbai passengers than at any of the six international gateways included in this year's survey. The actual usage rate was 65.9 per cent among those interviewed which is above the global average of 63.7 per cent and an increase from 61.7 per cent recorded at Mumbai during last year's survey.

Mumbai also stands out because of the popularity of web check-in which was used by 25.6 per cent of passengers - a rate which was only exceeded by Atlanta, the world's busiest airport, where the rate was 32.2. per cent. Overall, preference towards self-service check-in continues to grow at Mumbai up from 60 per cent last year to 68.9% this year compared to a global average of 62.9 per cent across the six airports surveyed.

The number one reason cited by Mumbai passengers for not using self-service check-in was that they had bags to check-in (45.2 per cent) as many of them did not see the value of self-service check-in options if they had to go an agent desk to drop off bags. Some also believe that it is not possible or too complicated to use self-service check-in options when there are bags to be checked in.

Maneesh Jaikrishna, SITA Director for India and South Asia, said: "This year's survey found that there was a significant increase in both awareness and availability of self-service check-in for passengers using Mumbai. Awareness of the self-service option is now almost at 80 per cent and continues to grow."

The survey also found that passengers are spending more through airline web sites on ancillary services such as hotels and car hire and their numbers are expected to double. In Mumbai, over 40 per cent of passengers use airline websites frequently or intermittently to book hotel rooms or car rental which is well above the 20 per cent average.

Jaikrishna added: "It is also interesting to note that Indian passengers have a very high rate of preference, 68 per cent, for an electronic copy of their boarding pass compared to 23 per cent who prefer the conventional paper boarding pass. This is further evidence that India's air travellers are very open to technological innovation that simplifies the passenger journey."

The numbers of Mumbai passengers carrying a smart phone has almost doubled to 11.3 per cent from 6.5 per cent in 2008, in line with the global trend. But interestingly, passengers in Mumbai are more inclined to use their mobile phone throughout the travel experience. In Mumbai, 78 per cent said they would use a mobile phone to check-in in the future as against a global average of 45 per cent.

The PSS Survey is an in-depth look at the attitudes and habits of a representative sample of the 232 million passengers who use these six leading international airports: Mumbai International; Sao Paulo Guarulhos, Brazil; Hartsfield-Jackson, Atlanta; Charles de Gaulle, Paris; Moscow Domodedovo; and OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg. The data is extracted from interviews with 2,193 passengers conducted at the departure gates earlier this year.