Over 50% flash sales airline booking is through phones: Survey

According to a report, smartphone proliferation is giving flash sales by various airlines a new dimension

When flash sales are announced by various airlines, more than half of the bookings are usually done through smart phones, according to a consumer survey by Cleartrip.

"We have seen that more than half of the bookings that came in during the flash sales were made from mobile phones.

"Customers seem to be giving in to their impulse to travel, as a huge chunk of them are turning to the palm of their hand to make bookings as lucrative fares are offered during flash sales," Cleartrip Chief Operating Officer COO Samyukth Sridharan said, commenting on the survey report.

Cleartrip's 'Impact of the Recent Flash Sales' report highlighted some interesting implications on consumer behaviour and found that smartphone proliferation is giving flash sales by various airlines a new dimension.

It further pointed out as airlines have always looked at increasing advance purchase sales to make the booking curve healthier on the tail, flash sales have shown a 65% surge in the advance purchase bookings.

Another interesting aspect is the rise of new bookers, representing a huge opportunities to get people to experience the air travel experience, it said.

"We saw over 24 per cent new bookers making their first purchase during these flash sales," Sridharan said.

Stimulating advance purchase works on various grounds, the opportunity to tap the large leisure segment of customers, which is strategically important for airlines and it also helps airlines to get to predictable loads on their flights well in advance, the survey report said.