At a time when airlines are trying to streamline their sales channels and bring customers on to their own platforms as much as possible, the search tool on airlines’ Android apps has not been exploited enough yet. videc’s App in the Sky examines this by breaking down each leg of the journey to find out what kind of user experience these apps from 65 worldwide airlines offer. Apps that don’t support native flight search naturally lose out on offering a seamless shopping and booking experience. This leakage is visible across prominent airline brands.
ONE-WAY FLIGHT SEARCH
Since most search attempts take place on-the-move, and because digital sales is now a priority for airlines, 98% of airlines that were part of the study offered one-way search option. The remaining 2% redirected users to their websites, which hampers the native app shopping experience.
Base: 65 airlines | View Methodology
RETURN JOURNEY FLIGHT SEARCH
Even today, native flight search is not supported by all airline Android apps. Search for return journeys is at 95% in 2Q19, indicating room for improvement in closing the loop with one-way searches. The exceptions could be a focus on the corporate traveler, whose return date is usually open-ended.
Base: 65 airlines | View Methodology
SAME DAY FLIGHT SEARCH
To ensure their flights are full, 72% airlines have invested in offering same-day booking tool to their app users. This figure was resting at a mere 36% in 1Q19. This could also be a reflection of the pressures under which most airlines operate today.
Base: 65 airlines | View Methodology
MULTI-CITY FLIGHT SEARCH
At 45% of airline apps, the multi-city flight search option is low. But given the complicated distribution systems airlines use, this is not surprising.
Base: 65 airlines | View Methodology
