29 April 2008

EasyJet, Expedia and Thomson among Which? website winners

EasyJet is the number one website for booking flights online, according a poll by consumer champion Which? Holiday magazine.

Expedia was the clear winner for booking hotels online, while Thomson.co.uk was peopleÃ¢â¬â¢s top choice for booking package holidays due to its ease of use and the belief that it offers good value for money.

Tripadvisor.co.uk was the favourite for researching holidays and as a source of holiday inspiration.

The survey of almost 3,000 Which? members found that flights are the most popular online travel purchase, with one in five people (21%) naming Easyjet as their favourite site for booking flights; many commented on how easy it was to use.

British AirwaysÃ¢â¬â¢ website was rated highly by Which? members, coming a close second with 18% of the votes.

Holiday Autos was the best site for booking car hire online while Direct Travel was considered the best for travel insurance.

Ease of use was the top priority when choosing a website to book online or buy travel, followed by value for money. People preferred websites where they could filter search results and compare different hotels or destinations.

The biggest frustrations when booking online were the need to register before searching (63%), websites that take a long time to load (49%) and a lack of flexibility with search dates (45%).

The research found that flights are the most popular online travel purchase, while more than half of those polled have booked hotels via the internet. Only a quarter had booked a package holiday online.

Almost a fifth said they did not book any holiday elements online, with 31% of those questioned preferring to deal with people face-to-face.

Which? Holiday editor Lorna Cowan said: Ã¢â¬ÅâœWith 80% of our members using the internet to book or research their holiday, itÃ¢â¬â¢s really important that businesses in the travel industry listen to what people want and get their websites right.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœWhile value for money is clearly important, ease of use is even more important to people. A website that is easy to use and quick to use could well turn a browser into a buyer.Ã¢â¬~

by Phil Davies