Consumers who book flights on mobile devices tend to be younger and pay less on average than those who use desktop or laptop computers to reserve flights, according to a new priceline.com Inc. study.
In the words of priceline.com travel analyst Brian Ek, “Mobile-equipped consumers are what we call ‘untethered’ travelers.”
Almost half of all consumers who reserved flights with priceline.com using a mobile device booked one-way tickets, and mobile users paid less for their tickets – $283 on average – than desktop users, who paid an average of $315.
Additionally, the average age of consumers booking flights with mobile devices was 32, versus an average age of 38 for the average desktop-wielding travel consumer.
Mobile consumers “like to create their travel experiences on the fly, rather than stick to itineraries planned far in advance,” Ek said in a prepared statement. “Hotels are typically chosen closer to check-in day (even on the same day), and many bookings are made while on the road or after arrival in town. … And the choice of one-way tickets allows mobile travelers to adjust their length of stay and even return from a different city.”
The priceline.com data were based on a sampling of mobile bookings made earlier this year after the company’s mobile application added the ability for consumers to book round-trip and one-way domestic and international flights. Priceline.com is headquartered in Norwalk.
