Skyscanner Reveals: 54% of Indian Travellers Prefer Flat Discounts over Packaged Deals

• Mobile apps are fast gaining popularity as the second most used channel after PCs for online travel booking

• Credit cards, followed by debit cards and internet banking, are the most preferred modes of making payments

• Mobile browsers are the least trusted channels of making a financial transaction                                                                                                                                                 

A recent survey commissioned by Skyscanner, a leading global travel search engine, revealed that 54% of Indian travellers prefer flat discounts when it comes to travel bookings. The survey which studied the booking habits and preferences of Indian travellers, highlighted that 38% seek flexibility of cancellation and rescheduling of their flights, while 37% hunt for packaged deals and offers.

"With over 116 million internet enabled smartphones, more and more Indian travellers are moving away from traditional methods of booking to a more evolved eco-system where they complete their transaction after browsing through all the available deals and discounts available. With the advancements in technology and increase of mobile and smartphone adoption, travellers now have the flexibility to plan a trip according to their budget – all at the convenience of their fingertips. Skyscanner saves people time by enabling travellers to search for flights, hotels and car hire options in one place by comparing results from over 1,000 partners – offering them the cheapest prices to choose from. Moreover, our “Price Alerts” enable travellers to monitor flight prices in real time," said Kavitha Gnanamurthy, Senior Marketing Manager, Skyscanner India.

The future of travel bookings

The survey revealed that while 45% of Indians prefer to make their travel booking on PCs, increasingly more travellers are booking through apps via their mobile and tablet devices (27%), followed by mobile web (13%). The same trend is reflected in Skyscanner’s data as the number of sessions recorded on mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) were 56%, followed by desktops at 44%. Convenience being the contributing factor to this trend, regular updates on promotional offers have also prompted the shift in how Indian travellers plan and book travel.

With credit card penetration at 21 million³, the survey also witnessed a changing trend among Indian travellers when it comes to payment methods. According to the survey, credit cards (49%) and debit cards (32%) are the most preferred modes of payment by travellers. 31% of Indian travellers prefer completing their transaction through Internet banking, while a small percentage (5%) of respondents favour PayPal as a mode of payment. On the other hand, the survey highlighted the barriers which hinder Indians from completing their transaction on their mobile device, with 38% of Indian travellers believe there are accompanying security issues, and 33% of respondents find it inconvenient.

About Skyscanner:

• Skyscanner is a leading global travel search company providing free search of flights, hotels and car hire.  

• Founded in 2003 Skyscanner helps to meet the travel planning needs of over 40 million people each month

• Skyscanner is available in 30 languages.  

• Skyscanner’s highly-rated free mobile apps have been downloaded over 35 million times. 

• The privately-owned company employs over 700 staff and has nine global offices in Edinburgh, Singapore, Beijing, Shenzhen, Miami, Barcelona, Glasgow, Sofia and Budapest. 

• For more information, please visit www.skyscanner.net and our blog.