Digital Travel is Taking Off: Are Travellers Ready to Fly With It?

Joanna Teljeur

By:  Joanna Teljeur

12 minutes read

Last Updated:  May 16, 2025

Like it or not, the future of travel is digital. Facial recognition, epassports, and other new technologies are being rolled out in airports with the promise of smoother, faster, and safer travel. But, as with the introduction of AI, the most enthusiastic supporters of this shift are the companies who build and implement it.

Like it or not, the future of travel is digital. Facial recognition, epassports, and other new technologies are being rolled out in airports with the promise of smoother, faster, and safer travel. But, as with the introduction of AI, the most enthusiastic supporters of this shift are the companies who build and implement it.

But what about the end users . . . the passengers who will actually use the technology? What does this mean for them - for their privacy and their rights? Who will benefit, and most importantly are travellers ready? AirAdvisor recently conducted a survey of over 3,000 respondents in the US, UK, and France to get to the bottom of these questions and find out what travellers really think about the future of travel.

Digital Travel: How We Got Here 

The digital transformation of travel began when the internet became available to the general public, allowing travellers to plan trips online. But things really took off when COVID-19 hit, and the air travel industry began developing and using contactless technology to prevent the virus from spreading. Since then, biometric technologies have soared.

Global organisations like the International Air Transport Association (IATA) helped promote the digital shift by introducing the One ID initiative, which uses biometric identification to create a paperless flight experience. Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) developed the Digital Travel Credential (DTC) to store and verify information from passports.

Which Airports are Already Using Digital Systems

Airports around the world are already using biometric systems like facial recognition technology. To understand how quickly this is being implemented, let’s look at some of the airports that already use it.

United States

In the United States, the TSA has been using Credential Authentication Technology (CAT-2) in 84 airports with another 400 on the books for the next few years. The CAT-2 uses real-time face matching with passports or IDs, so passengers don’t have to show their boarding pass at security checkpoints.

So far, the following US airports have already begun using this technology:

• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL),
• Miami International Airport (MIA),
• John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK),
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX),
• Orlando International Airport (MCO),
• Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD),
• Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). 

United Kingdom

In the UK, facial recognition technology has been installed in more than 270 e-gates in 15 airports and train stations. Passengers don’t have to show their passports. Instead, all they have to do is look into the camera!

To date, this technology has been implemented in the following UK airports:

• Heathrow Airport (LHR),
• Gatwick Airport (LGW),
• Manchester Airport (MAN), 
• Stansted Airport (STN), 
• Luton Airport (LTN), 
• Birmingham Airport (BHX), 
• Edinburgh Airport (EDI), 
• Glasgow Airport (GLA), 
• Bristol Airport (BRS), 
• Newcastle International Airport (NCL),
• London City Airport (LCY), 
• Cardiff Airport (CWL), 
• Belfast International Airport (BFS), and 
• Aberdeen Airport (ABZ).

France

Airports in France have been using the PARAFE system (Passage Automatisé Rapide Aux Frontières Extérieures) for facial recognition in major airports across the country since 2018 including:

• Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)
• Paris Orly Airport (ORY)
• Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport (BOD)
• EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg (MLH)
• Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport (LYS)
• Marseille Provence Airport (MRS)
• Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE)

Did you know you could get compensated by your airline if you were departing from any of the airports located in the EU or UK? See if your flight qualifies. Just enter your flight details into our compensation calculator.

Why Biometrics are a Boon for Tech & the Travel Industry

For tech companies, international aviation bodies, airlines, and airports, the digital shift will help solve some of the most nagging operational issues. Additionally, digitisation will help cut costs and pave the way for new forms of revenue.

The Airlines

Biometric systems will help airlines process travellers faster and save money by employing  fewer workers. At the same time, digital ID systems will give carriers a better understanding of their customers’ habits and preferences, which of course leads to customized offers (think seat upgrades and other perks) as well as new revenue streams. It can also help passengers navigate delays and cancellations.

Airports

With more and more people travelling, airports have been looking for ways to manage the growing issue of congestion. Digital identity systems could give hubs a better way to handle the increasing passenger volumes. Also, biometric self-boarding gates could give airports a faster and less expensive way to process travellers during check-in, security screening, boarding, and customs, to name a few.

Tech Companies

The tech companies who developed these systems and, in many cases, have long-term contracts with airports to maintain them, stand to benefit the most. For firms like NEC and SITA, the shift to digital travel means considerable profits. In fact, the industry was projected to hit $50 billion by 2035.

The Pros and Cons for Travellers

Digital identity systems promise to make the airport experience faster and more convenient for passengers. Facial recognition in particular can make check-in, boarding, and other pre-flight steps much faster and even more convenient: No more scrambling to dig your passport from the depths of your bag. 

• Contactless travel, while not as critical as it was during the pandemic, is still relevant and can improve the overall airport experience, especially through security check-points. At Atlanta’s Hartfield-Jackson Airport, for example, Delta employs a biometric screening lane that makes the process even faster than the TSA PreCheck and CLEAR lines.
• More personalization: With a digital identity, passengers can get real-time updates and notifications about their trip. Most travellers are already familiar with this from using airline apps.
• Better security: Biometrics are more difficult to fake than printed documents, so passengers can feel more secure. Also, it reduces the likelihood of being impersonated.
• Fewer mistakes: The confusion that comes from mismatched names on tickets and ID documents can be better handled and even avoided altogether with digital identities. Plus, with biometric bag drops, your luggage will be linked to you automatically which can reduce the chances of baggage mishandling.

These are all enormously beneficial as long as the systems are secure and passengers are given clear, accurate details about how their personal information will be handled.

The Risks of All-Digital Travel

Privacy issues are probably the biggest concern about biometric technologies, but data security and the potential for discrimination also pose a substantial risk to travellers.

• Privacy Concerns: Facial recognition technology collects your personal data, not just images of your face. In other words, it can be used to track travel patterns and other information without your consent. Not only that bet so far, there isn’t much transparency about how this info will be used by different agencies, which by itself raises some concerns.
• Potential for Profiling and Discrimination: Facial recognition can be problematic for passengers from certain ethnic backgrounds as it could lead to more unfair treatment, bias, and targeting at airports.
• Data Security: When personal data is collected and stored, there’s always a chance that it could be accessed by cybercriminals. Information gathered at airports is particularly attractive to hackers since it is stored in centralized databases.

Are Travellers Aware of the Digital Shift?

Airlines, airports, and tech companies are beyond excited about expanding digital travel, and they paint a rosy picture of what they perceive as public opinion. For example SITA states on their site, “Amid skyrocketing traffic, passengers look to digitisation to upgrade the travel experience” - but are they really? Our survey results found that passengers are still generally unaware of these changes, so how could they be looking to digitisation to improve their travel experience?

In the United States

Even though several US airports have begun using biometric and digital boarding systems, we found that 53% of Americans were unaware of the fact that paper boarding passes and the usual check-in systems would be replaced by digital versions. In fact, 25% of Americans were unaware that the Real ID would be going into effect in May 2025.

Age Gaps: Not surprisingly, awareness diminishes with age. Of respondents aged 69 and up, 62% said they didn’t know about these changes, while travellers between the ages of 18-42 were better informed and enthusiastic about digital travel.

Regional Differences: We found some interesting geographic differences in awareness. In Georgia, home of Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson Airport (the busiest in the world), 71% said they knew about the changes, but one state over in South Carolina, only 12% were aware.

In the UK

When asked about airports replacing paper boarding passes with digital IDs, 49% of respondents said they were aware of this possible change. Also, older adults, aged 59 and up, were less aware (42%) than younger adults (59%) between the ages of 18-42.

In France

Interestingly, awareness was lowest in France where only 33% of respondents knew about the coming changes. Just 29% of older adults aged 69+ were aware compared to 37% of adults aged 27-42.

Trust, Privacy, and Data Protection

The survey showed that trust in facial recognition remains low in all three countries surveyed.

The push toward digital air travel is accelerating, but our research shows that public trust is not keeping pace, said Anton Radchenko, founder and CEO of AirAdvisor. 

In the US

Only 25% of Americans said they trust the technology completely, while 41% trust it only conditionally, and 33% express discomfort or outright distrust.

Privacy and reliability are the top concerns: 61% of respondents worry about how their biometric data might be stored or used, and 63% fear system glitches or failures.

These concerns extend to digital passports as well. While 43% of travelers say they would consider uploading their passport if the system is secure and government-approved, 28% reject the idea altogether. Meanwhile, 91% of Americans say they still want access to a printed boarding pass, either always or as a backup.

Attitudes in the UK

Facial recognition technology receives only moderate trust among UK travellers.

• 31% said they trust it completely, a figure slightly higher than in the US, where 25% expressed full trust. 
• 48% said they trust the technology “mostly, but with concerns,” 
• 20% expressed discomfort or outright distrust.

Among the top concerns: 

• 72% of travellers feared system glitches or technical failures, 
• 57% were worried about data privacy, and 
• 52% believed the system might not be accessible to travellers who do not own smartphones. 

The idea of digitising official travel documents is also met with caution: 47% of UK respondents say they would be open to storing their passport on a smartphone-based digital ID, but only if the system is secure and officially approved by the government.

Trust in facial recognition declines sharply with age. 

• Among 18–26-year-olds, 95% say they trust the technology either completely or with some reservations. 
• Among those aged 69 and older, that figure falls to just 58%. 

Concerns about personal data use also increase with age: 

74% of respondents over 69 say they are concerned about how their information would be handled, compared to 65% of younger adults aged 18–26.

A similar generational gap appears when looking at attitudes toward digitising sensitive documents. Only 6% of young adults are uncomfortable with storing their passport on a smartphone, while that discomfort rises sharply to 41% among older respondents. 

In France

Despite growing awareness of the shift to more digitised travel, the results show limited buy-in among French respondents:

• 23% were enthusiastic about fully digital travel, while 
• 26% were concerned and 
• 7% were firmly opposed

The generational divide was striking: 

Among those aged 69+, 33% say they were "concerned" and 12% were "firmly opposed", compared to 75% of 18–26-year-olds who describe themselves as optimistic or enthusiastic. This gap in knowledge and communication appears to be slowing broader acceptance of a transformation that is already underway in several French airports.

Data Protection: A Central Concern

Facial recognition technology is met with widespread distrust with only 24% of French respondents fully trusting it.

Meanwhile, 72% expressed significant concern about how their biometric data might be stored and used, and nearly half (48%) said they would be willing to upload their passport to a digital identity app, but only if it were part of a secure, government-approved system.

Beyond privacy, technical failures were also a worry (63%), as was the lack of accessibility for people without smartphones (45%).

Did you know that you have certain rights as a passenger that protect you if you’ve had a flight delay or cancellation? If you’re flying in Europe or the UK, you’re protected by Regulations EU261 and UK261.

Printed Passes & the Cost of Going Digital

In all three countries, most passengers said they still want to be able to print a boarding pass.

89% of French respondents wanted to keep this option, with 87% in the UK and 91% in the US showing how important it is for travellers to have a backup method.

And when it comes to the financial implications, most participants in the survey were not convinced these new developments would save them money.

• In the UK, 10% felt digital identity would lead to reduced costs, 33% expected hidden fees and 57% felt there would be no change.
• In the U.S., 6% expected to save money and 39% were worried about increased expenses 
• In France, 32% were concerned that digital travel would increase the cost of travel.

What does this suggest? Our CEO and Founder, Anton Radchenko put it best:

Travelers are not rejecting innovation, they’re asking for balance. They want the speed and convenience that facial recognition and digital IDs can offer, but only if it comes with clear privacy protections, reliable performance, and the freedom to opt out. What we're seeing across the U.S., UK, and France is a shared demand for transparency, accountability, and personal agency. If digital systems are rolled out without those safeguards, we risk deepening public resistance instead of building confidence in the future of travel.

To Sum Up

We’re racing towards fully digital travel where biometric systems are the norm in airports around the globe. Still, many passengers are understandably concerned about how this will affect their privacy and what it means for issues around fairness and control of their personal data. Our survey results show that amid the widespread curiosity, there is still some hesitation - especially for older adults. To get all travellers on-board with these changes, airlines, airports, and governments will need to focus more on trust and transparency, and not just efficiency and the potential for profits..

Author:

Joanna Teljeur

Job/Position: Editor, Senior Writer

Joanna is a writer, editor, and consumer rights advocate.

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