More than 80% of airline passengers still are not offsetting their carbon emissions, according to the latest IATA Global Passenger Survey.
The survey found 30% of travelers are not even aware that carbon-offsetting is an available option, while a further 24% said simply that they do not want to participate in such schemes.
“That’s definitely an area we’re going to need to put more emphasis on as we move toward our net-zero goal,” says Nick Careen, IATA’s SVP-safety and security, in a webcast announcing the survey results Nov. 1.
Some airlines offer the option for passengers to purchase credits that offset their emissions. Most commonly, business travelers do it and it’s more widespread in Europe than in the U.S.
The survey, under which information was collated from more than 10,000 passengers from 200-plus countries, also found passengers continue to value convenience highly when it comes to travel, with priorities including easier access to online visas.
The vast majority of travelers—83%—say they are willing to share personal information in advance of flying if it improves convenience. One-third already have used biometrics during the travel process and rate them highly, with 75% of respondents eager to use biometrics instead of paper documents.
However, there are caveats, with 56% of respondents concerned about the loss of such sensitive information through data breaches and just over half expressing some concerns or a lack of knowledge on how their information is shared.
Among the areas in which passengers wish to see improvements at airports, security remains top of the list, with 93% calling for further improvements in processes. They find variations in security procedures, such as whether belts or liquids have to be removed at checkpoints, particularly irksome.
Baggage-handling also remains a problem area, with 40% saying they have had their luggage mishandled. Some 81% want some form of bag-tracking at all times throughout the journey, while 50% are interested in an electronic tag that will provide increased security during transit.
There is also “a huge desire for passengers to do things off-airport,” Careen says, such as having their bags picked up from home or the ability to check in bags at a location besides an airport.
Also regarded as annoying is having to pick up and then re-check baggage for connecting flights, as well as having to pass through security again when transferring to a second flight.
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