Demand for international air travel has finally started to improve year-on-year, indicated by results published in September, and self-service kiosks are being hailed as one of the key reasons why.

The global aviation industry was widely recognised as being on its knees, crippled by the weight of the recession and growing fuel costs, but self-check-in services are increasingly helping airlines cut costs and improve customer experience. And according to IATA’s 2009 Corporate Air Travel Survey, more than 50 percent of passengers worldwide want more self-service options.

Online check-in, kiosks and mobile technology are ushering in a new era of customer self-service, while self-service kiosks are increasingly becoming more and more popular, as proven by their increased usage. Kiosks are also working well in tandem with online and mobile technologies.

According to the SITA/Air Transport World Passenger Self Service Study, kiosk check-in usage is set to rise over the years and interactive kiosks will increasingly shift to the forefront of self-service. Kiosks not only benefit people who do not check-in online, but can also be used to provide multiple functionalities at the airport — like car rental or hotel check-in.

According to a 2009 SITA IT Trends survey, 80 percent of the airlines surveyed are planning to offer mobile check-in capabilities by 2012. In addition, IATA has targeted 100 percent Bar Coded Boarding Passes (BCBP) by 2010- thus ensuring a rosy future at airports around the world for kiosk manufacturers and self-service technologies…