Priority Pass, an airport lounge and experiences programme and part of The Collinson Group, has released new global research surveying over 12,000 travellers – including from key markets across Asia Pacific (APAC) .
In APAC, lounge and other premium services are central to today’s airport experience, with 80% of travellers having visited at least once. Lounge users are also a high-value demographic, with 73% spending more at airports thanks to automation, compared to 45% of non-lounge users.
The top three features travellers would like to see in airport lounges in future are smarter, tech-enabled environments with personalised food, entertainment and workspaces (46%), a seamless experience booking through apps (42%), and sustainable and eco-friendly design in lounges and wellness areas (41%).
In terms of general airport use, nearly eight in 10 travellers identified fast-track security (78%) and digital boarding passes (77%) as the most impactful technologies, closely followed by 74% and 72% of respondents valuing automated baggage drops and advanced security scanners respectively.
In APAC 68% – particularly Gen Z (77%) and Millennials (73%) – report increased spending at airports due to automation; higher than the global average of 60%.
Travellers are increasingly open to automation if it does not come at the expense of service, trust, or personal connection.
While 69% of APAC travellers believe airports are adopting AI and technology at the right pace, the report underlines the continued importance of human support at critical points, including customer service (66%), security (53%), and lost and found (52%). These moments carry emotional weight and uncertainty, and a human presence is a source of calm and clarity, the report says.
Looking to the future, travellers in APAC are eager for innovations such as globally consistent security (45%), fully biometric journeys (44%), and smart baggage tracking (43%).
