LONDON, Dec 11 — In 2014, flight comparison website Skyscanner has seen a surge in the number of searches and bookings carried out from mobile devices.
While desktops and laptops are still the platforms most used to compare flight prices on Skyscanner (78 per cent), searches from mobile phones account for 11 per cent and tablets for 10 per cent. This represents an increase of 152 per cent in just one year, the website notes.
But when it comes to confirming their booking on the payment page, do travellers continue with their mobile device? Or do they opt for the more secure connection offered by a PC? Apparently, consumers are using their mobile devices more and more often to complete flight reservations. Though less dramatic than the spike in mobile searches, the increase in mobile bookings on Skyscanner was nonetheless significant at 58 per cent over the year.
Comfortable to use and yet ultra-mobile, the tablet seems to be the ideal platform for surfing the web and buying plane tickets. Among the markets where these devices are used most to make reservations on the site are the US (+62 per cent) and France (+61 per cent). In Asia, the smartphone seems to be the device of choice for Skyscanner customers, accounting for 30 per cent of purchases.
To reach these conclusions, Skyscanner analysed the searches and reservations made on its site globally from tablets, mobile phones and PCs between 2013 and 2014. — AFP/Relaxnews
