Buying a plane ticket or booking a holiday is increasingly becoming a lengthy ordeal, as the parameters to be taken into account and compared are “overwhelming”, an international study highlights.
Choice of airline, options, seat, class, baggage size, user reviews, prices, promotions, discounts, limitations, exchange and refund policy… Today, booking a plane ticket, directly or indirectly, seems like an obstacle course, a source of stress for the consumer.
It must be said that the parameters to be taken into account and compared are becoming “overwhelming”, underlines a study* carried out on four countries for the technology provider Travelport. Too much choice kills choice, one could summarize.
“It is unrealistic to imagine that travelers will be willing to sacrifice their time and attention span to try to compare various versions of ‘Premium Economy’ class, endless combinations of schedules and prices, and more than 10,000 branded products offered by the world’s 250 largest airlines,” it reads.
Overwhelmed consumers
The consumer has indeed reason to tear his hair out. The proof, according to the study, is that travelers today visit up to 277 web pages before booking a trip, compared to only 38 in 2013.
“For travelers, this is what it looks like: different options available on different sites, seemingly arbitrary rules for flight changes, or random system incompatibilities. This doesn’t feel like a modern experience to them,” it reads.
As a result, 58% of respondents say the amount of choice is overwhelming. “According to our research, today’s travelers feel overwhelmed.”
80% believe that comparing prices from different airlines takes up too much time and 56% believe that airline products have become more difficult to understand. Especially since all the information related to the purchase is often scattered or difficult to access.
The scourge of hidden costs
88% of travelers would prefer to see all flight options and prices on a single screen. Because most often, the prices displayed do not include certain fees that are added at the very end of the purchasing process. Thus, 66% of respondents think that there are too many hidden fees when booking and ultimately, 71% often doubt that they have benefited from the best offer after booking.
“Consumers are not looking for more choice, but for more reliability in the choices presented. Choice is a tax on time and attention,” says Scott Galloway, a marketing professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business.
“Travel is a major purchase. Purchasing travel should be a pleasure at best and a breeze at least. Yes, even business travel. That means being transparent about cancellation fees, seat reservation policies, or the chance to get a free toothbrush on a long-haul flight. Travelers are afraid of making mistakes when booking and incurring penalties. They want resellers to make it easier to change bookings,” Travelport says.
*This study was conducted by Travelport using the Toluna Research platform. The research sample consisted of 1,659 consumers from Germany, South Africa, the UK and the US who had taken at least one or more flights for business or leisure in the last 12 months.
Olivier Chicheportiche BFM Business journalist
