Majority of passengers unwilling to travel if quarantine involved, IATA survey shows

Dubai: More than half of airline passengers want to travel within two months of the pandemic being contained, according to a survey conducted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Around 57 per cent of the people surveyed expect to be flying a couple of months after the pandemic is brought under control. Meanwhile, a large majority of travelers (72%) want to travel to see family and friends as soon as possible.

“People want to get back to travel, but quarantine is the showstopper – as testing capacity and technology improves and the vaccinated population grows, the conditions for removing quarantine measures are being created,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

Around 84 per cent of the respondents said they will not travel if there is a chance of quarantine at the destination, said the survey.

Privacy concerns

IATA is currently working with various aviation industry players to launch the Travel Pass, which is essentially a digital health passport for passengers.

Although 80 per cent of the respondents are in favor of using the platform as soon as it is made available, many of them (around 78%) said they would only use a travel credential app if they have full control over their data.

“Passengers keep all the data on their mobile devices, and they remain in full control of where that data goes,” said IATA’s head. “There is no central database.”

“While we are making good progress with numerous trials, we are still awaiting the global standards for digital testing and vaccine certificates. Only with global standards and governments accepting them can we maximize efficiency and deliver an optimum travel experience,” said de Juniac.