Survey shows travellers want value over cost but often struggle to find it

Value is more important than cost but can be hard to find

When booking a flight, value is a top priority for over four out of five (86%) travelers today with just one in five (18%) now booking solely on cost. This trend is apparent across all age groups led by Baby Boomers (91%) who prioritise value marginally more than younger generations.

To find offers of value, travellers ‘nearly always’ use a combination of travel review sites like TripAdvisor (42%), price comparison sites like Kayak.com (38%), recommendation sites like Kiwi.com (36%) and have conversations with travel consultants (31%).

But when shopping online, travellers have mounting frustrations when it comes to knowing which companies they can trust (50%, up 6% on 2018). They are also frustrated by not knowing whether online reviews are genuine (50%) and the time required to find the right option (43%).

Travellers want more control and transparency

Across all age categories, when booking a flight, travellers typically want to personalize their own experience (42%) through add-ons like extra legroom, additional baggage allowance and meal upgrades. One quarter (24%), however, prefer to receive branded offers, such as Flexi and Saver, which provide a basic level of personalisation.

When attempting to personalize their experience, however, a growing number of travellers are getting frustrated by not being able to understand what is included as standard (52%, up 12% on 2018) and not knowing what add-ons are available to them (56%).

Travellers are also increasingly frustrated by companies they regularly use not remembering their preferences (35%, up 4% on 2018). Frustration with this is most prevalent among Gen Y (39%).

Technologies are influencing decision making

Nearly three quarters (71%) of travellers today consider it important whether an airline offers a good digital experience when booking a flight, up +3% on 2018. Over half (58%) also consider this when choosing accommodation, up +7% on 2018.

When researching a trip, three quarters (77%) of travellers have reviewed videos and photos posted by travel brands on social media, up 2% on 2018. One third (36%) of Gen Y travellers today ‘nearly always’ do this in the research phase. Facebook is considered the most influential social media platform by all age groups except for Gen Z, which puts Instagram marginally ahead.

Nearly half of all travellers (48%) now believe augmented or virtual reality experiences would help them better plan their trips. Demand is greatest among Gen Y (61%) travellers, though still significant among all other age categories.
Demand continues to rise for technologies that make travel easier to manage

Nearly half (45%) of travellers today get frustrated when they are unable to access their booking information round-the-clock on mobile devices, such as smartphones and smartwatches, up 9% on 2018. When it comes to age groups, frustration is particularly high among Gen Y (50%) and Gen Z (47%) travellers but also maintained among others.

Nearly half (44%) of travellers have now used voice search to help manage travel, with use greatest among Gen Y travellers (61%) and lowest among Baby Boomers (12%). One quarter (25%) of Gen Y travellers today ‘nearly always’ use the technology for this use. When the technology is used by travellers, some of the most popular requests made are for information relating to the weather at their destinations (60%) and getting live traffic updates (54%).

Technology, however, is not always the answer. Two fifths (42%) of travellers, for example, find not being able to speak to a human frustrating, up from 38% in 2018. This view was shared consistently across all age groups, though highest among Baby Boomers (43%).

Commenting on the findings of the research, Travelport’s chief customer and marketing officer, Fiona Shanley said: "Travelers are consumers too and they want an experience from travel providers and travel agents that is as simple and engaging as the best retailers.

"Travelport’s latest global research shows that technology is key to this – from serving relevant and personalised offers to providing attractive propositions from trusted sources. With the increasing adoption of emerging technologies and the use of new industry standards, this is precisely where the industry is heading. At Travelport, we will continue to accelerate developments in all these areas, and more, to help the industry keep pace with the rapidly evolving needs of the modern traveller."