Travellers embrace mobile check in to avoid airline fines

Consumer insight from travel search engine, KAYAK.co.uk, reveals that more than two in five travellers (42 per cent) have been slapped with airlines fines following issues with their traditional printed check in documents, resulting in an average of £51 in fines per person. Following this, almost a third (32 per cent) have embraced the digital revolution and would now rather use a smart device to check in.

Travel search engine, KAYAK.co.uk commissioned a Mobile Travel Report using OnePoll to survey 1,000 travellers who make more than two return flights a year. The findings show that difficulties and negative experiences with traditional printed check in methods has caused a move towards smart check in options.

When asked about difficulties checking in, KAYAK.co.uk’s Mobile Travel Report found that the most common issue which affected 14 per cent of travellers was losing a boarding pass at the airport. This is closely followed by 12 per cent of people who forgot to print their boarding passes altogether, and the 11 per cent of people who didn’t have the opportunity or means to do so. For 6 per cent of people, the print quality of their self-printed boarding pass hindered their journey.

Currently several budget airlines charge for the replacement of documents, with Ryanair demanding as much as £15 if you arrive at the airport without your printed check in documents and £70 for checking in at the airport. KAYAK.co.uk found that 57 per cent of travellers believe that airlines fines over forgotten or lost boarding passes are unfair.

As champions of smart travel options, KAYAK.co.uk asked travellers why they would rather use digital methods to check in for a flight, such as an airline app, QR code or via a confirmation email shown on a smart device. The most popular reasons given span across reliability, convenience and environmental concerns. 

On a reliability front, 44 per cent said that they worry about forgetting a printed boarding pass. Similarly 35 per cent say that they would be more likely to lose a printed copy of a boarding pass than their smart device. For 38 per cent of travellers, digital check in is simply more convenient than the hassle of printing, and with 23 per cent of regular travellers admitting to not owning a printer so it isn’t surprising. A further third (36 per cent) of people, environmental concerns lead them to prefer paperless check in methods.

The desire to move away from traditional printed airport check in methods entirely towards digital only would be welcomed by 36 per cent of travellers.

Thinking about the impact of digital on the wider travel experience, when arriving at a hotel 29 per cent of guests would rather check in using their smart phone. For almost half (49 per cent) this is because they worry about forgetting their traditional reservation information, while a third (33 per cent) would rather do to ease their eco concerns.

Loella Pehrsson, Regional Managing Director UK, Ireland & the Nordics of KAYAK says “In today’s fast-paced world remembering to print and keep track of boarding passes and reservations can be an inconvenience to travellers, especially when they have a device in their pocket which can do the job for them. Consumers rely on their smart devices in every area of their lives and travelling is no different; it was this demand which led to the development of the KAYAK app. At KAYAK.co.uk we pride ourselves on giving our customers the technology to make smart and savvy travel decisions, and the handy MyTrips feature built into our app does just this. By showing useful real-time information about live gate changes while at the airport and providing back-ups of hotel receipts, the app has quickly become an indispensable tool for travellers.”