A third – over 38 percent – of British travellers considers themselves ‘safe bet bookers,’ according to a survey by leading travel search website Skyscanner.
In trying to understand the booking behaviour of travellers, Skyscanner had identified five distinct flight-booking types. The identification of the booker types also follows Skyscanner’s recent study, which found that the best time to book flights is, on average, five weeks before departure.
The Safe Bet Booker has been identified as one who book his flights as early as possible, reluctant to risk holding off in case flight prices should rise or flights sell out.
The Competitive Booker is one who books if the price looks reasonable, and once booked, he checks every day to see if the rates are still competitive.
The Efficient Booker will book immediately after deciding on the destination, regardless of whether he is getting a good deal and would seldom wait to check prices. Efficient bookers are generally cash rich but time poor.
The Gambler is the risk-taking booker who seeks to get the very best price even if that may mean waiting until the last minute.
The Spontaneous Booker is one who is generally laid back while both booking and on the place to go. He simply books a flight, if it looks good value.
While 38 percent nominated themselves as ‘safe bet bookers,’ only 11 percent of Brits will hold off booking until nearer the time of travelling, identifying themselves as Gamblers. Many more – nearly 29 percent – have identified themselves as competitive bookers, while 12 percent saw themselves as efficient bookers and a further 10 percent identified with the spontaneous booker type.
Skyscanner’s Mary Porter said: ‘This study shows that we all look at booking our flights in very different ways with some competitive types almost seeing it as a game or a challenge while others have a far more laid back approach.
Of course those who have to travel at a particular time are more likely to want to book in advance and we understand that – however our advice would be to track fares by signing up for price alerts, allowing them to see when lowest fares become available.’
