Sabre Corporation has released data showing that over one in three of all global travellers pay above the average airfare for plane tickets.
On the popular routes compared within Asia Pacific, Singapore-Hong Kong saw 37% of travellers paying above the odds, while Australia’s key Sydney-Melbourne route recorded a 48% of travellers paying for tickets above the average route fare price.
Sabre said with easy online access to travel information more consumers in APAC are shopping around for the best travel deals.
Despite a huge amount of time spent shopping and an abundance of travel services and unique content to choose from, consumers often don’t actually walk away with the best match for their booking criteria.
“This could factor in anything from price to flexibility or availability of add-ons, customised offerings and loyalty programmes,” said Roshan Mendis, senior vice president for Sabre Travel Network Asia Pacific.
Roshan Mendis: Sabre’s bringing new technologies to create a more personalised shopping experience. (Image credit: Sabre)
“This new data is about airfares, but it’s illustrative of a much wider travel shopping trend that we’re seeing across the board.
“One of the biggest challenges facing travel companies today isn’t providing the level of choice that travellers expect; it’s ensuring that those choices are presented to the right person, in the right place and at the right time,” added Mendis.
Sabre is working closely with some of the world’s leading travel companies to develop the next wave of smart technology designed to create a more personalised shopping experience.
The company recently shared a sneak peek into a significant new release of its software solution for travel retailers and suppliers, Sabre Red Workspace, which it said “will help both retailers and suppliers offer travellers new levels of choice, transparency and personalisation.”
“The airlines, the hotels, the online retailers, the corporate travel managers, the travel agents – they all have one common question. How can we make the whole travel experience, including shopping and booking, better?” said Mendis.
“By giving travellers easier access to the most relevant shopping information, itineraries can be booked confidently and without hesitation, ensuring satisfied customers and driving loyalty. So we’re focusing on bringing new technologies to market that can do just this.”
• Featured image credit (online shopping): urfinguss/iStock
