Frequent business travelers like the convenience and scale of comparing flights with online travel agents and meta search sites, but a majority still prefer booking tickets direct with airlines.
A consumer survey by FlightView, a company which develops travel apps for airlines, reveals that a combined 51% of travelers will search for flights on OTAs such as Expedia and Orbitz, or on travel search sites like Kayak.
However when it comes to making a purchase, 59% will then go direct to an airline website.
Almost 30% buy tickets from online travel agents, 8% go to traditional travel agents and 3% said they do not buy air fares themselves.
The survey polled a total of 2,066 people in April who use FlightView’s mobile app.
According to FlightView CEO Mike Benjamin, the results show that the choice often comes down to "how well the provider keeps business travelers informed and engaged during their trip."
Benjamin said proactive itinerary and flight updates are important to frequent travelers.
He said 42% would be more willing to book with an OTA if they could better manage their itineraries and make necessary changes on the day of travel.
Also, 37% of respondents said bigger discounting on accommodations and car rentals would encourage them to book direct with an OTA.
Flightview also said the most popular travel websites for a ‘first search’ are Expedia and Kayak.
