Intriguing set of data from the latest
SITA Self-Service Survey depicting a "dramatic" increase in the number of people booking hotels on airline websites.
SITA says those using airline websites to book accommodation jumped from 21% in 2009 to 38% in the latest, 2010 edition of the annual study.
A similar figure - 19% to 35% over a 12 month period - could be found for those opting to buy car hire.
This is indeed a significant increase and the obvious question is who is missing out if travellers are buying non-air products on websites other than online travel agencies, or direct from hotels and car hire firms?
SITA says it only has its data to go on and can offer no ready explanation or point of view as to why the massive shift.
However, it is worth nothing that the research methodology has changed slightly since 2009, perhaps explaining part of the wrinkle in the data.
The study interviewed passengers at seven major international airports around the world, including Moscow, Atlanta, Mumbai, Sao Paolo and Johannesburg.
But, for example, SITA surveyed passengers at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport in 2009 but switched to Frankfurt in 2010. Only 5.7% of Paris customers booked a hotel on an airline website in 2009 as opposed to 31.5% in Frankfurt.
In addition, a airport included in the research for the first, Beijing had a massive percentage booking on an airline site (52.2%).
Nevertheless, data from individual airports did illustrate the headline trend - Sao Paulo, for example, jumped from 17.9% to 50.4% in a year.
Meanwhile, other interesting findings in the SITA survey:
- Percentage of passengers using mobiles to check-in on day of survey: 3%
- Percentage used mobile for check-in at any time: up from 14% in 2009 to 23% in 2010.
- Regular use of online check-in: 61%.
- Regular use of kiosk check-in: 71%.