easyJet.com favourite for flights at Which? Holiday

easyJet is the number one website for booking flights online, shows new research by Which? Holiday magazine. The survey of Which? members found that flights are the most popular online travel purchase, with one in five people (21 per cent) naming Easyjet as their favourite site for booking flights; many commented on how easy it was to use.

British Airways may be glad to hear some good news following its recent problems with Terminal 5; its website was rated highly by Which? members, coming a close second with 18 per cent of the votes.

Expedia was the clear winner for booking hotels online, while Thomson.co.uk was people’s top choice for booking package holidays. Tripadvisor.co.uk was the favourite for researching holidays and as a source of holiday inspiration.

Ease of use was the top priority when choosing a website to book online or buy travel products, followed by value for money, and 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 per cent), websites that take a long time to load (49 per cent) and a lack of flexibility with search dates (45 per cent).

Lorna Cowan, editor, Which? Holiday, says:

“With 80 per cent of our members using the internet to book or research their holiday, it’s really important that businesses in the travel industry listen to what people want and get their websites right.

“While 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.”