International research highlights how
overwhelmed customers feel when booking travel due to newfound
proliferation of offers
- 58% of travelers feel overwhelmed by too many
choices
- 56% of travelers say airline offers are more difficult to
understand now than they were 10 years ago
- 71% of travelers feel anxious about whether they got the
best deal after they've booked their trip
- 88% of travelers would prefer to see all flight options and
fares on one screen
LANGLEY, United
Kingdom, July 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --
Travelport, a global technology company that
powers bookings for hundreds of thousands of travel suppliers
worldwide, today released its 2024 State of Modern Retailing
Report. Combining international independent research,
cross-industry comparisons and consumer insights, the headline of
2024's report asserts that searching and booking travel directly
from travel providers has become more time-consuming and
complicated than ever.
71% of travelers feel anxious about whether
they got the best deal after they've booked their trip
"Despite travel providers favoring direct-to-consumer
connections, the sheer volume of options is overwhelming to
travelers, making them less confident in their booking choices,"
said Jen Catto, Chief Marketing
Officer at Travelport. "Our research found that instead
of feeling excited after booking a trip, most travelers are left
feeling anxious, wondering if they got the best deal. For the
travel industry, this signals a growing need and opportunity for
travel agencies. Their expertise in comparison shopping aids
travelers in confidently booking the best option, based on their
personal preferences."
KEY STUDY HIGHLIGHTS:
More Choice Leaves Travelers Feeling Overwhelmed
- Travelport estimates that air travel options have gone from
about 500 economy/ business options available in 2010 to over
10,000 options in 2024 (economy, economy plus, flexi- family,
business, first, etc.). That's a 1,900% increase.
- The majority of travelers (58%) feel that the volume of choice
is overwhelming.
- 56% of travelers say that airline offers are more difficult to
understand now than they were 10 years ago.
- 61% of travelers also believe there are more penalties now when
changing a flight than there were 10 years ago, with 66% citing
that there are too many hidden fees.
- The majority of travelers (71%) sometimes feel anxious about
whether they got the best deal after they've booked their trip,
with 42% feeling like airline offers have become 'less suitable'
over time in meeting their personal preferences.
DTC (Direct to Consumer) Feels More Like Difficult to
Compare
- Most travelers (80%) agree that comparing fares from different
airlines is very time-consuming, with more than two-thirds (69%)
feeling that information is often restricted on some airline
booking sites.
- When it comes to shopping for all components of their trip, 60%
said they spend an average of one to four hours planning, while
more than one-third (36%) spend more than five hours searching and
comparing options before booking.
- Most respondents (88%) agree they would prefer to see all
flight options and fares on one screen, which is likely the reason
that more than half (54%) said they frequently use a comparison
site to search for information before purchasing their ticket.
- The majority of Millennial (70%) and Gen X (64%) travelers
often use online travel agencies (OTAs) to book, citing choice and
price transparency as the primary reasons.
- Travelers are looking to artificial intelligence (AI) to
provide more than just a chatbot, and agencies will
increasingly rely on their technology partners to implement AI and
ML (machine learning) in creative ways, such as Travelport's
Content Curation Layer.
Amenities That Matter Most
- When booking flights, respondents said that luggage allowance
(63%), cancellation and change policies (50%) and seat selection
(50%) are the most important factors to compare.
- Most travelers (63%) also stated that they feel airlines do not
put the customer first when it comes to customer servicing matters
(flight cancellations, exchanges, etc.)
- The hotel features that were cited as most important to
travelers were WiFi availability (48%), complimentary
breakfast options (47%), and hotel facilities (45%).
International Insights
- Dynamic pricing and offers among US-based airlines could be
complicating the retailing experience for American travelers, as
more US respondents (49%) feel shopping for flights takes more time
than comparing hotels (40%), car rentals (8%) and restaurants
(3%).
- Additionally, more US travelers (47%) feel like airline offers
are not customized to their needs, compared to travelers from
Germany (34%), South Africa (35%) and the U.K.
(45%).
- Unlike American respondents, hotel shopping is the more
time-consuming experience for travelers from Germany (52%), South
Africa (54%) and the UK (59%).
"Travel providers are continually refining and expanding their
offerings to fit their customers unique needs and preferences,"
Catto added. "Prioritizing partnerships with agencies will
ensure a truly personalized service to their travelers. That will
make the shopping experience seamless for all."
For more information and to read the 2024 State of Modern
Retailing report, please
visit Travelport.com/difficult-to-compare.
Notes for Editors
- The survey was conducted by Travelport using the Toluna
Research platform.
- The research sample consisted of 1,659 consumers from
Germany, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States that have taken at least one
or more flights for business or leisure within the last 12
months.
About Travelport
Travelport is a global
technology company that powers bookings for hundreds of thousands
of travel suppliers worldwide. Buyers and sellers of travel are
connected by the company's next generation marketplace,
Travelport+, which simplifies how brands connect, upgrades how
travel is sold, and enables modern digital retailing. Headquartered
in the United Kingdom and
operating in more than 165 countries around the world, Travelport
is focused on driving innovation that simplifies the complex travel
ecosystem.
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SOURCE Travelport