Flight Metasearch Analysis: Why Are Sites Slow to Add Instant Booking?
Photo Credit: This is an illustration of what a redesigned search interface might look like by designer Jan Losert. Airfare comparison websites like Skyscanner, Momondo, and Kayak have the technology to make booking flights faster. But it still isn't happening. Behance / Jan Losert
Skift Take
We have the technology, as they used to say on TV's "The Six Million Dollar Man." We have the capability to make booking flights on mobile better than it was before. Better... stronger... faster. But short-sighted airline business strategies seem to be holding back the hot price-comparison companies of the hour -- Momondo, Kayak, and Skyscanner -- from offering direct, or instant, bookings of flights.
Airfare comparison websites are hot, given Tuesday's news that the Priceline Group will buy UK and Denmark-based metasearch site Momondo Group for $550 million and November's news that Ctrip will acquire Edinburgh-based Skyscanner for $1.74 billion. Even Hipmunk was snapped up by Concur in September.
Given deals and ample valuations, it's easy to buy into the cliche that technology companies innovate at supersonic speeds while airlines are slow to change.
But the opposite can seem true, at least if you are a consumer shopping for flights online.
Airlines are inventing products to sell (and upsell) along with leveling new fees and restrictions faster than Kayak, Skyscanner, Momondo, Dohop, iGola, Hipmunk, Viajala, WeGo, or TripAdvisor Flights can do the necessary technical and commercial work to display them clearly.
Many new airline products, such as seat selection fees and access to onboard Wi-Fi, can't be bought on the travel metasearch companies, which instead send user
