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Airline web sales soar
Around 16% of all air tickets are now sold online according to a new report – up from 10% last year and just 6% the year before.
And according to the annual Airline IT Trends Survey direct ticket sales through airline branded websites have doubled in the last year to be worth roughly US$50 billion a year, accounting for around 10% of all airline tickets sold.
The survey, conducted by air transport IT specialist SITA and Airline Business magazine, reports that while just 10% of airlines – mainly the no frills carriers – are currently selling most of their tickets online the traditional airlines hope to achieve this “within the next two to three years.”
The survey shows that ticket sales through all web channels represent about 16% of total sales, growing from 10% last year and 6% in 2001. However there are big regional differences. In North America the percentage of tickets sold through all online channels stands at 39.7%, while the figure for Europe is just 14%.
SITA President Peter Buecking said: “The majority of airline tickets are still sold through travel agents supported by the global distribution systems, but this dominance is being challenged. As traditional carriers aim to increase direct web sales they will have to simplify their fares and pricing systems to make it easier for passengers to use their websites to purchase tickets – BA.com is a good example of what can be achieved.”
The report also shows that e-ticketing continues to increase, now accounting for 15% of ticket sales compared to 11% last year. In North America e-tickets now account for almost 60% of total sales.
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