Flight Booking Periods are Shortening Dramatically According to Travel Site Skyscanner
Released
on: February 03, 2010, 2:16 am
Author: Skyscanner Ltd
Industry: Travel
Flight comparison site Skyscanner has reported a significant
change in the way people are booking flights since the global downturn
began.
Examining data for three of its most popular routes from the UK, including cheap
flights to Malaga from London, Skyscanner found that although overall search
numbers were up in 2008, users searched for cheap flights an average of 146 days ahead of
when they planned to travel, but in 2009 this dropped to just 34 days.
Barry Smith, Skyscanner co-founder and director commented:
“There are two obvious reasons for this trend for later bookings. In the middle of
the UK’s worst recession in decades many people didn’t want to book holidays too far
in advance, in case they lost their jobs.
“People also need to feel confident about the viability of airlines. Over the last
18 months, a number of airlines have folded and people are much more cautious of
losing flights if they book too far ahead.
“The irony of this is that although people are understandably keen to be financially
prudent, it can be self-defeating as it’s almost always cheaper to book flights in
advance – prices tend to rise the closer you get to the date of departure.”
This wisdom was reinforced by cheap flight hunters commenting on Skyscanner’s
Facebook page:
“I book early if possible – it’s definitely cheaper. I pay on my credit card so
don’t care if an airline goes bust – that is what insurance is for” said one user.
About Skyscanner:
Skyscanner is a leading travel search site based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Skyscanner
provides instant online comparison on flight prices, including flights
to London for over 670,000 routes on over 600 airlines, as well as car hire,
hotel and holiday price comparison.
With Skyscanner, users can browse without having to enter specific dates or even
destinations, and Skyscanner is available in 20 different languages including
French, German and Spanish.
PR Contact:
Sam Baldwin
Skyscanner Ltd
Stamp Office
10 Waterloo Place
Edinburgh
EH1 3EG
+44 (0)131 252 5353
www.skyscanner.net