CONSUMER TRAVEL

Connected. Travel. Technology

TRENDS
2020
1
 INTRODUCTION

Technology is transforming so much of

our daily lives, and travel is no exception.

Our latest research has confirmed just

how important it is to today’s travelers,
whether they’re finding the best value
flights, booking a personalized itinerary
or managing their trip on the go.

Based on responses from 23,000

travelers in 20 countries, we’ve
highlighted the key trends that are
shaping today’s travel industry and will
be the market disrupters of the future.

2 2
METHODOLOGY

Travelport’s global digital traveler research

surveyed 23,000 travelers from 20 countries:
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China,
France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy,
Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia,
Spain, South Africa, UAE, UK, USA

All respondents had taken at least two round

trip flights in the past year.

3
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The growing importance of booking on
mobile
The majority of travelers have used a mobile device to
not only search but book an aspect of their trip. The
data showed that this is only going to increase as
Gen Z and millennials grow up and take over from
the over 55s.
App adoption continuing to accelerate
Compared to last year, the number of apps travelers
use on their smartphone is rising. Recommendations
from family, friends, and app store ratings are the main
reasons travelers download an app.
Communication creates connection
Our survey shows that travelers are overwhelmingly
in favor of receiving information about their trip status,
but also updates on flights they have abandoned
before booking. Respondents feel push notifications
from an app are very useful.
4
Providing more trip information will
empower your traveler
One of the dominant themes of our consumer survey
is that travelers want transparency on their options
—ability to choose a seat, check if Wi-Fi is available,
baggage allowance, and a clear understanding of
terms and conditions.
Getting personal
Personalization is a trend that is only going to grow in
importance. While price is always important, travelers
now see the value of a personalized experience even
more than getting the best price.
Researching flights
Online access to air content is crucial and when it comes to mobile, younger generations are far more likely to conduct research
on mobile than their elders. Surprisingly, 43% of Gen Y have gone to an agent to research travel.

Leisure travel research Business travel research

77% 61%
75% 69%
Online on a computer
78% 71%
85% 77%

69% 53%
69% 62%
Online on a mobile device
52% 49%
26% 29%

18% 37%
27% By telephone 35%
18% 26%
13% 20%

22% 45%
31% Face-to-face with an agent 38%
26% 29%
27% 19%

18-19 (GenZ) 20-39 (GenY) 40-54 (GenX) 55+ (Baby boomers)

Q: Which of the following do you usually use to research a trip? Select all that apply - 1. When traveling for leisure 2. When traveling for business

5
Booking flights
Bookings predominantly occur online and on desktop, especially with the older generations. The biggest difference is the booking
habits on mobile across the age cohorts. Gen Y book three times the number of trips on mobile as the over 55s.

Leisure travel research Business travel research

73% 61%
71% 66%
Online on a computer
75% 68%
79% 75%

60% 46%
62% 59%
Online on a mobile device
43% 43%
19% 23%

16% 33%
24% By telephone 33%
17% 24%
13% 19%

23% 38%
29% Face-to-face with an agent 37%
25% 27%
25% 20%

18-19 (GenZ) 20-39 (GenY) 40-54 (GenX) 55+ (Baby boomers)

Q: Which of the following do you usually use to book a trip? Select all that apply - 1. When traveling for leisure 2. When traveling for business

6
Booking methods
Booking leisure travel is a fractured experience with the majority of travelers using multiple media to get their trip booked.
Business trips see a higher incidence of booking on one website or app. And corporate booking tools are almost as popular as one
website/app.

Leisure travel research Business travel research

66% 48%
31% Total (Global) 29%
4% 24%

74% 52%
22% 18-19 (GenZ) 22%
4% 26%

65% 47%
29% 20-39 (GenY) 30%
6% 24%

66% 48%
31% 40-54 (GenX) 28%
3% 23%

66% 56%
33% 55+ (Baby boomers) 24%
1% 21%

Make your booking through multiple websites or mobile apps

Booking all aspects of your journey on only one website or mobile app
Use a corporate booking tool

Q: When booking online (e.g. computer or mobile device), which do you usually do?
7
Mobile booking
Though mobile is not as popular as desktop, the vast majority of travelers (~75% of leisure and ~80% of business) have booked and
paid for travel on mobile at some stage. They are marginally more willing to book business trips on mobile.

Leisure: Booking and paying on mobile Business: Booking and paying on mobile

24% 20%
25% 28%

24%
24% 27%
29%

24% Yes, for every trip 28% Yes, for every trip
27% Yes, for most trips 29% Yes, for most trips
24% Yes, a few times 24% Yes, a few times
25% No, never done this 20% No, never done this

Q: When booking online (e.g. computer or mobile device), which do you usually do?

8
Mobile booking
Over the next 10 years mobile will become increasingly prevalent as a travel booking method. The over 55s are the only age group
not to have embraced booking on mobile.

Leisure booking methods Business booking methods

55+ (Baby boomers)

40-54 (GenX)

20-39 (GenY)

18-19 (GenZ)

Leisure/business - booking and

paying on mobile

100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Yes, for every trip Yes, for most trips Yes, a few times No, never

Q: Have you booked and paid for a trip using your mobile device?

9
 Research methods: leisure
Peer to peer recommendations are the ‘go-to’ research resource for over 90% of travelers. Voice search continues to gain traction
as a research method with 44% of travelers using it, up from 23% in 2018.

Review sites e.g.

TripAdvisor

Flight comparison sites e.g.

Skyscanner, Kayak

Travel booking sites that help you discover new

destinations based on your interests

Recommendations from travel professionals e.g. travel

agents, tour operators

Videos and photos posted by friends and family

on social media

Videos and photos posted by travel brands

on social media

Sites that suggest alternatives for nearby locations and

similar dates but at a lower price eg Hopper

Global travel recommendation sites that suggest options

based on your budget eg Wherefor, Kiwi

Travel magazines/
newspapers

Voice
search

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Never Sometimes Nearly always

Q: Which of the following methods do you use to research trips when traveling for leisure?
10
 Research methods: business
Voice search is even more widely used by business travelers, with almost 60% using it in 2019. Hopper and Kiwi have been
typically used by leisure travelers but the data also shows significant usage among business travelers.

Review sites e.g.

TripAdvisor

Flight comparison sites e.g.

Skyscanner, Kayak

Recommendations from travel professionals e.g. travel

agents, tour operators
27.6%
Travel booking sites that help you discover new
destinations based on your interests

Global travel recommendation sites that suggest options

based on your budget eg Wherefor and Kiwi

Sites that suggest alternatives for nearby locations and

similar dates but at a lower price eg Hopper 29.0%
Videos and photos posted by travel brands
on social media

Videos and photos posted by friends and family

on social media

Travel magazines/
newspapers

Voice
search

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Never Sometimes Nearly always

Q: Which of the following methods do you use to research trips when traveling for business?
11
 Booking frustrations
Transparency, sourcing ancillaries, trusting the company you’re booking with, and managing the trip after booking are the main
frustrations experienced by travelers.

Frustrations felt during booking process

Not being able to see the availability and cost of extras eg prebook seats, food, wi-fi and baggage 56%
Complicated rules/terms and conditions around cancellations/changes 55%
Not being able to understand what is included eg bags, meals etc 52%
Not knowing which companies I can trust 50%
Not knowing whether online reviews are genuine 50%
Not being able to access my booking on all of my devices 45%
Time spent trying to find the best price 43%
Not being able to speak with a human 42%
Booking everything separately eg flights, accommodation, ground transport 38%
Knowing the rules around online check-in/seat allocation 37%
Companies I use regularly not remembering my preferences 35%
Staying within corporate travel policy 18%

Q: How frustrating do you find the following parts of booking a trip?* Using a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being “not at all frustrating” and 5 being “very frustrating”.

12
 Digital savvy travelers
The importance of the digital experience for travelers is growing. From a list of statements provided to the survey respondents,
the top three results relate to internet connectivity during travel.

Top three statements travelers agreed with

75%
71% 69%
68% 67%
65% 63% 65% 65%
63% 62%
58%

I avoid hotels that still charge Digital boarding passes and I find booking flights online to
for wi-fi e-tickets make traveling so be as easy as shopping online
much easier for other products or services

18-19 (GenZ) 20-39 (GenY) 40-54 (GenX) 55+ (Baby boomers)

Q: Below are some statements about travel. Please give us your level of agreement with them* [Responses: 1-5 / 1 - do not agree at all to 5 - totally agree]
13
 Keep Gen Y app-y
Response to a list of statements also show that Gen Y are the most likely age group to seek a digital solution while traveling.

62%
56% 54%
53% 52%
47% 45%
43%
41% 41% 41%
38%

25%
20%
18%
16%

I tend to research and book I prefer a digital key that lets I prefer to check-in to a hotel I tend to back up all my travel
all my travel arrangements on you check in and unlock your via an app than via reception documents to the ‘cloud’
my smart phone room from your smartphone

18-19 (GenZ) 20-39 (GenY) 40-54 (GenX) 55+ (Baby boomers)

Q: Below are some statements about travel. Please give us your level of agreement with them* [Responses: 1-5 / 1 - do not agree at all to 5 - totally agree]

14
 Choosing airlines
Trust in the carrier, value for money, and customer service are the top three reasons travelers choose an airline.

What matters when choosing an airline?

Trusted/
reliable airline 86%
Value for
money 86%
Great customer
service 81%
Simple to understand fares describing what
is included 81%
Best route/
timings 80%
Good on-board experience e.g. seats, service,
inflight ents, food, drinks, etc. 77%
A good digital experience e.g. online check-
in, gate information, etc. 71%
Ability to customise your experience eg add-
on bags, WIFI, lounge access 63%
Ability to collect and redeem frequent flier
programme points/miles 59%

Q: How important are the following when choosing your airline using a scale of 1-5 with 1 being “not at all important” and 5 being “very important”

15
 Choosing airlines
Access to wi-fi in-flight was another statement a lot of respondents reacted favorably to.

Wi-fi in the sky?

56%

47% 46%

26%

18-19 (GenZ)
20-39 (GenY)
40-54 (GenX)
55+ (Baby boomers)

Q: Below are some statements about travel. Please give us your level of agreement with them* [Responses: 1-5 / 1 - do not agree at all to 5 - totally agree]
It’s important to be able to use the internet on an airplane

16
 Personalization > Price
Despite value for money being one of the main reasons an airline is chosen, heightened personalization is more important
than price.

What type of offers do you prefer?

17%
24%

17%

42%

24% To receive a short list of branded offers ie flexi, saver etc to allow a basic level of personalization
42% To be able to personalize your travel yourself by purchasing add-ons like meal upgrades and seats with extra legroom
17% To give airlines more access to your personal data so they can deliver personalized offers directly to you
17% None of these as I always go for the cheapest price

Q: Which of the following would you prefer when booking a flight? Please choose the one that best applies.

17
 App adoption
Apps are being used for all aspects of travel.

What type of task do you use an app for?

Checking into a flight 39%

Booking accommodation 38%
Booking a flight 37%
Searching for accommodation 36%
Generating a boarding pass 36%
Searching for a flight 35%
Making a last-minute booking 34%
Looking for car rental 34%
Searching for discounts or offers 33%
Searching and booking things to do in your destination 32%
Purchasing additional flight items 31%
Purchasing priority boarding 29%
Searching for airport offers 29%

Q: Do you usually to use an app or a mobile website for the following activities?

18
 App adoption – research
The younger travelers are more likely to use apps during the research phase. The range of activities cover all aspects of the trip
including flights, accommodation, car, and bleisure.

Searching for content

44%
42% 43%
39% 40% 41%
39%
37% 36%
35% 36%
32% 34%
32%
30% 29%
28%
25%
22%
20%
17% 18% 17%
12%

Searching for airport Searching and Searching for Looking for Searching for Searching for
offers (ie coffee, booking things to do discounts or offers car rental a flight accommodation
meals, discounts) in your destination

18-19 (GenZ) 20-39 (GenY) 40-54 (GenX) 55+ (Baby boomers)

Q: Do you usually to use an app or a mobile website for the following activities?

19
 App adoption – bookings
Gen Y are most likely to book on mobile, even bigger ticket items like flights and accommodation. They will also book ancillaries
on mobile if available.

Booking content

45% 47%
45%
43%
40%
39%
36% 36%
35% 34%
33%
31%
27% 28%
26%

21% 21%

14% 15% 16%

Purchasing priority Purchasing additional Making a last-minute Booking a Booking

boarding flight items (ie wi-fi, extra booking flight accommodation
bag, priority boarding,
in-flight meals, Inflight
entertainment)

18-19 (GenZ) 20-39 (GenY) 40-54 (GenX) 55+ (Baby boomers)

Q: Do you usually to use an app or a mobile website for the following activities?
20
 App adoption – bookings
Regardless of whether the research and booking has taken place on mobile, travelers are willing to manage their trip on
mobile too.

Managing content

45%
42% 43%

37% 37%
34%

27%
25%

Generating a Checking into

boarding pass a flight

18-19 (GenZ) 20-39 (GenY) 40-54 (GenX) 55+ (Baby boomers)

Q: Do you usually to use an app or a mobile website for the following activities?

21
 App features
Travelers want to be able to manage all aspects of their flight from an app.

App features

Ability to search and book flights 76%

Seeing all your trip itinerary in one place 72%
Mobile check-in 69%
Real-time flight alerts throughout your journey 69%
Hotel and car bookings 69%
The ability to change your flight from within the app 68%
Things to do at local destination 66%
The ability to add extras to your booking on the go 64%
Booking airport transfer 63%
Personalized travel offers 62%
Airport maps 61%
Loyalty programmes 60%
Ability to pay using Apple/Android pay 54%
Credit card scan 53%
Live chat with a travel representative 51%

Q: On a scale of 1-5 with 1 being “not at all important” and 5 being “very important”*, how would you rate the following features for you
to have in your favorite travel apps?
22
 App loyalty
The number of travelers with the same or more apps on their smartphone has risen 5% to 87% in 2019.

App count

13%

53%
34%

53% You have downloaded new travel apps so you now have more than you did last year
34% You have downloaded new travel apps this year but also deleted others, so you have about the same number as last year
13% You have deleted some travel apps so you have fewer than last year

23
 App loyalty
Recommendations from family, friends, and app store ratings are growing in importance.

Why did you download the app? Why did you delete the app?

45% 47%
42% 39%
33% 36%
20% 33% 20%
19% 29% 19%
15% 29% 15%
7% 26% 7%
21% 47% I only needed it for one specific trip
39% It took up too much space on phone
45% I needed it for my trip (ie to get boarding pass/check-into hotel etc)
36% I was receiving too many notifications
42% Recommendations from friends/family
20% There wasn’t enough functionality
33% I saw it had a good rating in the app store
19% It needed to update too many times
33% I saw it on social media (eg Facebook, Twitter etc)
15% It was hard to use/navigate
29% I was browsing app stores
7% Another reason
29% I saw an ad when browsing on the web
26% I saw it advertised on the mobile website first
21% I saw an ad in newspaper/on tv/billboard

24
 Push it good
Travelers are well disposed to receiving a timely update. Trip status is deemed the most important notification but an interest in
flight prices and cart abandonment reminders also show notifications can play a role in the sales process.

Which push notifications did you find useful?

Trip status (ie flight delayed, check-in time) 86%

Price change of a flight you are looking at 82%
Reminder of a booking/purchase in progress 81%
New trip/flight discount, offer or sale 79%
New product or service available 74%
Upgrade to the app itself 73%
Loyalty points update 73%
Recommendations of a product/service 71%

Q: How useful do you find the following travel push notifications? Using a scale of 1-5 with 1 being “not at all useful” and 5 being “very useful”*

25
 What matters when choosing accommodation
Location and cost matter most when booking accommodation. Wi-fi seems to be more important than peer reviews and other
digital solutions.

Location of accommodation 85%

Total cost of the stay (including, breakfast, wi-fi, parking, etc.) 84%
Free wi-fi 78%
Good online reviews 70%
Hotel amenities e.g. pool, fitness centre, etc. 66%
Recommendations by friends/family/colleagues 59%
A good digital experience e.g. online check-in, room key on your smartphone, etc. 58%
In-room technology e.g. smart TV, digital music player, bluetooth speakers, etc. 57%
Concierge on your smartphone e.g. local maps, restaurants, hotel amenities, etc. 56%
Known brand / existing loyalty programme member 56%

Q: How important are the following when choosing your accommodation? Using a scale of 1-5 with 1 being “not at all important” and 5 being “very important”*

26
 Social media
50% of travelers use social media for an 46% of travelers have used social media
upcoming trip. to research and then book a trip.

Do you use social media for travel? If “yes”, for what?

2% 4%

48% 50% 46% 50%

50% Yes 50% Just to research a trip

48% No 46% To research and then book a trip

2% Don’t know 4% Neither of these

Q: Have you ever used social media platforms such as Facebook Q: Which of the following activities do you use the social media
Messenger or WeChat for researching or booking travel? platforms for?

27
 Social media
Facebook is the most popular platform helped by paid ad formats that cater specifically for the travel industry and the
volume of users on Facebook.

Which platform did you use?

51% Facebook
4%
5% 10% Twitter

15% 13% Instagram

2% 51% 2% Snapchat

13% 15% Weibo

5% Other
10%
4% None of these

Q: Which of the following social media platform do you find most influential when
researching and booking travel?

28
 Travelport Trends 2020
You’ve read the consumer trends, now see how mobile technology and online trends are
shaping up for 2020. Our mobile and online travel trends reports are now
available to download.

travelport.com/trends2020

29
 About Travelport
Travel is a $7 trillion industry – and Travelport is
at its heart, powering the experiences that the
world’s leading travel companies provide. Our
platform enables travel providers, travel agencies,
corporations and developers to search, share,
buy and sell travel. We connect the world’s leading
travel providers with online and offline buyers in a
proprietary B2B travel marketplace.

In 2018, our Travelport systems processed:

* Approximately $89 billion of travel spending

* Over 4 trillion messages passed over our
networks; approx. 11 billion air shopping
requests per month
* Over 335 million segments sold by travel
agencies including:
• Over 107 million car rental days
• Approximately 67 million hotel room nights
• 45 hospitality segments per 100 air tickets
sold

travelport.com
© 2019 Travelport. All rights reserved. Travelport, Apollo, Galileo,
Worldspan and the Travelport logo are trademarks of Travelport.
All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

30