Priceline.com Airline Ticket Booking Data Paints A Picture Of The "Untethered" Mobile-Equipped Traveler

NORWALK, Conn., April 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- They're younger than their desktop brethren, and many of them don't want to be tethered to pre-set, round-trip flight itineraries.  That's what priceline.comfound in its latest study of airline ticket booking trends among travelers equipped with iOS, Android and other mobile devices.

The airline tickets data is similar to what priceline.com saw in earlier studies of hotel reservation trends and paints a picture of a mobile device-equipped consumer whose travel booking practices and preferences are very different from travelers who plan their trips using desktop computers and laptops.

"Mobile-equipped consumers are what we call 'untethered' travelers," said priceline.com's Travel Ekspert Brian Ek.  "They like to create their travel experiences on the fly, rather than stick to itineraries planned far in advance.  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.  Mobile-equipped travelers tend to book their airline tickets a bit closer-in than desktop users.  And the choice of one-way tickets allows mobile travelers to adjust their length of stay and even return from a different city."

Priceline.com's study of airline ticket booking activity among mobile-equipped travelers found that:

Mobile air bookers averaged 32 years of age, or six years younger than the average desktop air booker; Almost half of mobile air bookers booked one-way tickets, and Mobile air bookers paid less for their tickets (average $283) compared to desktop users (average $315).

Priceline.com's data is based on a sampling of mobile bookings made earlier this year after the Priceline app added the ability to book round-trip and one-way domestic and international airline tickets.  The Priceline app is optimized for the iPhone5.  The app can be downloaded for free from the iTunes store http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/priceline-hotel-car-negotiator/id336381998?mt=8&uo=4.  Priceline.com also offers a version of the app for Android, that can be downloaded for free from the Android market https://market.android.com/details?id=com.priceline.android.negotiator. Travelers with other devices can access priceline.com's mobile-friendly website at m.priceline.com.

About The Priceline Group
The Priceline Group (Nasdaq: PCLN) is a leader in global online hotel reservations, with over 295,000 participating hotels and accommodations worldwide. The Group is composed of four primary brands - Booking.com, priceline.com, Agoda.com and rentalcars.com - and several ancillary brands. The Priceline Group provides online travel services in over 190 countries and territories in Europe, North America, South America, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and Africa.

Booking.com is the number one online hotel reservation service in the world, offering over 275,000 hotels and accommodations (as of February 25, 2013), and is available in 41 languages. More recent counts are available on the Booking.com website. Priceline.com gives leisure travelers multiple ways to save on their airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, vacation packages and cruises. In addition to getting compelling published prices, travelers can take advantage of priceline.com's famous Name Your Own Price® service, which can deliver the lowest prices available, or the recently added Express Deals, where travelers can take advantage of hotel discounts without bidding.

Agoda.com is an Asia-based online hotel reservation service that is available in 38 languages. Rentalcars.com is a multinational rental car service, offering its reservation services in over 6,000 locations. Customer support is provided in 40 languages.

SOURCE Priceline.com