“Airlines, it's time to take more responsibility”, demand 84% of UK consumers, while 3 out of 4 are so fed up with travel chaos, they're willing to pay for preflight peace of mind themselves

LONDON, 27 June 2022: As airports remain gripped by chaos and summer flight cancellations climb, statistics* released today by London-based technology company Zamna reveal that the vast majority of UK travellers are willing to dip into their holiday budget to fast track their way to travel assurety.

In order to improve overall flight and boarding experience, 3 out of 4 (76%) surveyed said they would be willing to pay their airline an additional fee on top of their ticket price for a travel and health documentation check before arriving at the airport - a fee that averages out at £5.32pp, around the price of an airport pint.

With travel disruption far from over, ongoing airport chaos is likely to have a long-term negative impact on the industry's recovery. In fact, customers have so many concerns and anxieties around flying, that 4 out of 5 (81%) respondents are thinking twice about flying internationally in 2022 - citing complex changes to travel rules as a result of Brexit and Covid-19, stresses around providing correct travel documentation at check-in, and problems with staff shortages. This already high statistic only looks set to grow as passengers continue to lose confidence in airlines, ditching 7-hour queues** and holidays abroad in favour of UK staycations . 

Findings from the independent piece of research all point towards the need for an airline-provided solution, highlighting that passengers are grossly unhappy with the level of support and service they're currently receiving from airlines. In fact, a massive 84% of respondents think airlines should take more responsibility to help their passengers with the multitude of documentation needed to travel internationally, while only 16% felt that documentation was solely the passenger's responsibility.

Irra Ariella Khi, CEO of Zamna, comments: “It's clear from the survey results that passengers want more peace of mind directly from their airlines, before they even leave the house. There is nothing enjoyable about taking a flight today. Travellers are arriving at the airport with zero assurance that they have the correct documentation to fly; they're worried whether they'll be allowed to board, worried whether their last vaccination is still valid, and worried whether the queue they're stuck in will move fast enough to make their flight. It's a terribly stressful start to what is meant to be the relaxed getaway they've dreamt of all year. But how can passengers relax? Why would they even want to fly? 

“Airlines urgently need to look at their check-in processes, gaps in technology and bring in new ways of working that will alleviate some of the travel chaos currently taking place inside airports right now. Technology solutions are already here and are leading the way to advanced-checking solutions for the process of passport and visa checks - including the new EU visa (ETIAS) - vaccination verification, passenger locator forms, and other requirements. If airlines struggle to win customers' confidence and assurance is not provided, they are at risk of losing out on crucial revenue and much-deserved, sunny getaways for Brits will remain grounded!”

A pre-flight travel document check would also see the long and slow-moving queues UK travellers have endured of late run significantly faster and smoother, simply by alleviating airline staffing pressures needed to manually process passenger check-in at the airport itself. Shorter, quicker queues would also mean more time to drink or dine before a flight, browse the duty free or get settled at the gate. 

“Airlines have an enormous opportunity to completely transform the passenger experience simply by alleviating some of the anxiety caused by increasingly complex regulations,” adds Irra.  “By using technology that's both live and dynamic, passengers can be assured that no matter what changes governments may make to travel rules across their route network, their airline can adapt pre-flight checks quickly and easily - offering complete assurance for those flying.”

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*  Independent survey research was carried out by Research Without Barriers, between 28 April and 6 May 2022. Based on 2,016 UK adults.

**BBC, April 2021 (www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56209431)

Note to Editors

About Zamna

Zamna is an award-winning venture-backed software company working with airlines, health providers & governments to validate traveller data such as passports and health status via highly secure, GDPR-compliant patented software. Zamna, headquartered in London, England, is a member of LORCA - The London Office for Rapid Cybersecurity Advancement as well as a longstanding Strategic Partner to IBMATA (International Border Management And Technologies Association) and the current holder for IATA's oneID innovation award. Other notable associations include a long-standing partnership with British Airways' owner International Airlines Group, a collaboration between Emirates Airlines and the UAE's General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners (GDRFA) to improve airport security, and investment from LocalGlobe - one of the most prolific and successful seed investors in Europe.

zamna.com