Airlines, airports and governments have increasingly complex requirements. They need consistent passenger processing, reduced exposure to fines and penalties, reduced congestion and improved passenger flows, the flexibility to cope with peaks in traffic, the ability to facilitate tourism and trade and, of course, compliance with security mandates.

Passengers require simplified, consistent processing around the world and greater control of the travel process (electronic visa, etc). They also need to have their data privacy respected, and they want greater confidence in air transport.

Challenges facing the industry come from three perspectives:

1. The market continues to grow, but suffers from increasing financial pressures.

2. E-commerce, combined with technology maturity and the global adoption of mobile devices, are driving market change.

3. Passenger enablement in the travel industry is following other industries that have already moved to self-service.