Are SA Passengers Ready For Self-service technologies?

With time being the most valuable commodity, self-service check-in technology is becoming increasingly important, especially in the airport environment where every minute counts. Each year, millions of passengers catch flights from the continent's airports, but the question remains: How do we ensure that we get passengers ready for self-service check-in technologies?

Sumeshin Naidoo, technical executive at GIBB, one of the largest black-owned engineering consultancies presented a paper at the Aviation Festival Africa 2016. Naidoo spearheaded the study Passenger Readiness for Aviation Self-Service Technologies which he illustrated during the festival.

The aim of the research as Naidoo explained was, “to gain an understanding of the South African passenger and how they relate to each of the check-in modes and how the various self-service check-in technologies differ from each other”.

According to Naidoo, “We also wanted to gauge the effects of Technology Readiness (TI) on these passengers and their attitudes toward, adoption of and responses to the use of these Self-Service Check-In Technologies in South Africa (SSCIT).”

The study is necessary in assisting airport authorities, airlines and the greater aviation community at large to be better equipped to firstly understand the relevant self-service check-in technologies that were suitable for the South African environment (the African context) and to understand factors influencing the technology readiness of passengers.

The study would enable key parties to plan rollout of adequate and appropriate airport infrastructure for passenger check in, meet the passenger demand for growth and choice of check-in technology and ultimately to be able to anticipate passenger behaviours and attributes in respect to their Technology Readiness factors – critical to the successful execution of self-service check- in technologies.

An online survey was sent out to databases of airline passengers of which 770 responses were received. Their interactions and response to the various technologies viz. counter check-in, kiosk check-in, internet check-in and mobile check-in determined just some of the following recommendations and conclusion:

• Strategy focused primarily on technology based services may not realise profitability unless bundled with other customer benefits.

• Technology must be combined with personal attributes of service delivery for successful implementations.

• Airlines and Airport Authorities must provide simple and user friendly equipment, provide better education and guidance, set realistic goals of adoption in line with customers’ TR and support passengers through the self-service journey.

• Consistency should also play a role in ensuring that passengers are exposed to the same technology, equipment, location, ambience, etc. when travelling the various airports.

• Product designs should be state of the art technology, aesthetically appealing and possibly with visual and audio effects, interactive voice response systems giving consumers increased choice as to place and comfort.

Naidoo concluded, “These results reinforce the role Technology Readiness plays in customer Self-Service Check-In Technologies interaction and is expected fundamental for long-term business success.”