Skyscanner reveals searches on tablets and smartphones soaring

One in five Britons have booked flights on a mobile or tablet device as flight searches on the move soar.

One in five Britons have booked flights on a mobile or tablet device as flight searches on the move soar.

Travel search site Skyscanner claims a 152% global increase in flight searches on handheld devices in the last year.

The company looked at the data of desktop and mobile devices, to compare how users are searching for and booking flights across devices.

The most common place to book flights away from home is work, with 20% admitting to booking holidays while in the office, followed by in the pub (12%) and while out for dinner (10%).

The rise of mobile devices means that one in 20 (5%) have booked travel while in a meeting or at the gym, and 1% have even booked holidays in the bathroom.

While almost two thirds (64%) of searches come from desktops, searches on mobile devices represent 18% and tablets also account for 18% of the flight searches in the UK.

Although travellers are still primarily using desktops for flight searches, travel searches and bookings are starting to shift to mobile as more people own smartphones and tablets.

The percentage of UK travellers using a smartphone to search for flights increased 88% in 2014 and searches on tablets also accelerated by 31%.

This increase is not limited to searching, with Brits now more confident than before to book on the go, apparent from the 79% increase of mobile bookings, according to the Skyscanner research.

Tablets, which have started to replace desktops and laptops, have seen a 40% increase in bookings.

Mondays are the peak day of the week for booking flights on both desktops and handheld devices. However, bookings reach their peak on desktops at lunchtime (1pm) while the peak time for mobiles and tablets is 9pm.

January is the peak month for Skyscanner app downloads by British travellers, following a surge of mobile and tablet sales over the Christmas period.

The UK also follows global trends, with most Skyscanner flights, hotels and car hire apps downloaded by iOS devices (65%), compared to just 35% on Android devices.

Mobile business strategy and operations director Jenny Herbison, said: “Travel search and bookings have gone through a major transformation with the rise of mobile devices.

“With travellers having their mobile devices nearby, and checking them frequently we expect the growth to continue, especially on tablets, as they are devices that sit between desktop and smartphones.”

Top ten destinations to book a flight on mobile or tablet on the go are:

At work 20%
In the pub 12%
Out for dinner 10%
Whilst at the in-laws 8%
On a train 7%
In a work meeting 5%
At the gym 5%
On a commute to work 4%
On a bus 4%
In the bathroom 1%