Search Travel Market Report

mainlogo
www.travelmarketreport.com
  • News
  • Tours & Packages
  • Cruise
  • Hotels & Resorts
  • Destinations
  • Retail Strategies
  • Niche & Luxury
  • Air
  • Training & Events
  • Who We Are
    • Brian Israel
    • Dan McCarthy
    • Denise Caiazzo
    • Dori Saltzman
    • Kelly Fontenelle

Google: Consumers Make 32 Visits to 10 Websites to Book an Airline Ticket

by Doug Gollan / September 21, 2015

Google wants airlines to disrupt, well, Google.

According to Skift.com, a presentation by the search site to the World Low Cost Airline Congress held last week in London revealed what consumers and traditional travel agents have known for a long time: Booking airline tickets online is not as easy as it’s cracked up to be.

Google’s Scott Friesen told the audience, “The travel journey is incredibly complicated. The way people are booking their travel is even more so.” He urged attendees to simplify the process.

As evidence, he showed a journey chart based on a study of U.K. consumers. To start, 54% didn’t have a destination in mind when they sat down at their computers. Among the stops on the circuitous online journey to booking a ticket were five different types of sites, including travel news websites, search sites, advice sites such as Trip Advisor, aggregator sites, and social media sites. In all, the average was 32.5 visits to 10.3 websites.

As previously reported by Travel Market Report, traditional travel agents have been gaining ground on OTAs for the past four years. “The percentage of travelers who report they’re using the services of a traditional travel agent has risen for four years straight,” said Peter Yesawich, Vice Chairman of MMGY, which conducted the research, published in its annual Portrait of the American Traveler. “The highest rate of growth of traditional travel agents is among millennials.”

Stacy Small, founder of Los Angeles-based Elite Travel International, told TMR, “I have a client who is taking a Seabourn cruise. Over the weekend, she didn’t want to bother me, so she went online and booked airline flights. It cost her $36,000 for two roundtrip first class tickets on Singapore Airlines. When she told me, I was able to rebook it for $31,000, including special services at the airport they required, but didn’t even know the airline would provide.”

Small added that for her customers, using her to book air is a no-brainer. “We manage the booking. We get daily updates on schedule changes. The clients don’t always get notified about schedule changes. We take care of special meals. We get seat assignments cleared that aren’t available online so they can sit together. We have executive level contacts at the airlines who can flag VIP clients, get fares honored or help when there is a disruption.”

Michael Holtz, founder and CEO of New York-based Smartflyer, said the Google research didn’t surprise him, either. “Every day I hear stories about consumers spending a half hour or more on the phone trying to get something done that a good travel agent can do in minutes.”

As an example, he said, if a family of four wants to fly American Airlines from Dallas to London, when they search for fares, travel websites will only show the lowest fare available for four tickets. But an agent might be able to find three seats at a fare hundreds of dollars less, with savings into the thousands of dollars.

Holtz said consumers, even frequent fliers, often don’t pay attention to the fine print. With the proliferation of code-sharing, “hundreds of people go to the wrong terminal every day.” At Smartflyer, the rule of thumb is to book clients on the operating carrier, so that when they look at their itinerary in their smart phone it’s instantly apparent which airline is actually flying the plane.

Agents did agree that top-level frequent fliers who are just booking a specific flight with their favorite airline do not take as many steps as the Google report indicates. However, Anne Scully of McCabe Worldwide Travel in McLean, VA, said good agents know the various aircraft the airlines fly; they also know which domestic flights use planes that normally fly international routes, and have roomier seats in first and business class. “Why pay more than 84% of the people on the plane for the worst seat?” she asked.

Mary Jean Tully, CEO/founder of Tully Luxury Travel in Toronto, Canada, puts herself in the position of the consumer. “When I try to do it myself, it is easy to see why you need somebody who knows the systems, and knows where and how to look,” she said.

Tully said her agency also helps frequent fliers book rewards seats for $200 per ticket. “It’s frustrating for clients because at 10 p.m. there are no seats, then at 10:03 p.m. there are three seats available.” And good agents use consolidators to find better fares, she added. “Most consumers don’t even know what a consolidator is.”

“People’s time is worth money,” Scully said. “The Google research shows how much time it takes a consumer to book and airline ticket. It’s a good example of why it makes sense to use a good travel agent.”

  37
  2
Korea
Related Articles
The World's Most Expensive Flights
Canada Jetlines Pushes Launch Date
Op-Ed: Airlines Need to Change Their Tune
Travel Chaos Could Get Even Worse This Summer
What Travel Advisors Should Know About 2021 Taxes
AAA Travel Selects Railbookers as Preferred Partner
Greece Set to Reopen to Cruise Ship Traffic on August 1
ASTA Calls on Air Canada to Change its Refund Policy
The Louvre Museum Reopens With New Safety Measures in Place
CBP Postpones Trusted Traveler Enrollment Centers Reopening

MOST VIEWED

  1. U.S. State Department Updates Jamaica Travel Warning to Level 3
  2. First Hand Look at the Soon-to-Open Sam Lord's Castle Barbados, A Wyndham Grand Resort
  3. TSA Will Now Allow Teens to Access PreCheck with Parents or Guardians
  4. 25 Qualifying Questions to Help You Nail Your Clients' Vacation Plans
  5. Tips for Delivering Bad News to Your Clients
  6. Report: Margaritaville Times Square Faces Foreclosure

MOST EMAILED

  1. First Hand Look at the Soon-to-Open Sam Lord's Castle Barbados, A Wyndham Grand Resort
  2. 5 Reasons You Need to Use a Travel Advisor Now More Than Ever
  3. U.S. State Department Updates Jamaica Travel Warning to Level 3
  4. 25 Qualifying Questions to Help You Nail Your Clients' Vacation Plans
  5. TSA Will Now Allow Teens to Access PreCheck with Parents or Guardians
  6. Tips for Delivering Bad News to Your Clients
TMR Subscription

Subscribe today to receive daily in-depth coverage, analysis of industry news, trends and issues that affect how you do business. Subscribe now for free.

Subscribe to TMR

Top Stories
Another Forecast Says Caribbean Hurricane Seasons Will Be 'Slightly More Active'
Another Forecast Says Caribbean Hurricane Seasons Will Be 'Slightly More Active'

We can expect a “slightly more active” hurricane season in the Caribbean this year, according to the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology.

Read...
American Airlines Set to Appeal Northeast Alliance Court Ruling
American Airlines Set to Appeal Northeast Alliance Court Ruling

The original ruling came down in May. 

Read...
Air New Zealand Wants You to Weigh-In Before Your Flight
Air New Zealand Wants You to Weigh-In Before Your Flight

The weigh-ins aim to provide pilots with better information for takeoff. 

Read...
Memorial Day Travel Numbers Surge Past 2019 Levels
Memorial Day Travel Numbers Surge Past 2019 Levels

Each of the four days was above levels from the same day in 2019.

Read...
NOAA Forecasts Near-Normal 2023 Hurricane Season with 12-17 Named Storms
NOAA Forecasts Near-Normal 2023 Hurricane Season with 12-17 Named Storms

The NOAA said it has “70% confidence” in its 2023 prediction.

Read...
London Heathrow Airport Prepares for Security Worker Strike
London Heathrow Airport Prepares for Security Worker Strike

Security guards working at Heathrow are set to strike from May 25 through May 27. 

Read...
TMR OUTLOOKS & WHITE PAPERS
Cruise Trend Outlook 2023
river cruise 2022
group outlook 2022
View All
Advertiser's Voice
https://img.youtube.com/vi/TIZwKLcPwbg/0.jpg
We Appreciate our Travel Advisors
About Travel Market Report Mission Staff Advisory Board Advertise
TMR Resources Webinars Calendar of Events Outlook/Whitepapers Previous Sponsored Articles Previous This Week Articles
Subscribe to TMR
Select Language
Do You Have an Idea Email
editor@travelmarketreport.com
Give Us a Call
1-(516) 730-3097
Drop Us a Note
Travel Market Report
71 Audrey Ave, Oyster Bay, NY 11771
News |Tours & Packages |Cruise |Hotels & Resorts |Destinations |Retail Strategies |Niche & Luxury |Air |Training & Events |Who We Are
© 2005 - 2023 Travel Market Report, an American Marketing Group Inc. Company All Rights Reserved | 243 South Street, Oyster Bay, NY, 11771 USA | Telephone (516) 730-3097| Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy