Sabre: Western Europeans spend 3.5 hours to book a flight

Sabre stated (27-Oct-2017) Western European travellers spend an average of 3.5 hours booking the "perfect flight", which is "often longer than the flight itself". More than 43% of Western Europeans are expected to travel to winter sun destinations in winter 2017/18. Sabre stated of those planning a Christmas trip, almost one in 10 will spend more than seven hours searching for fares. Sabre SVP SMEA Roshan Mendis said: "This is compounded by airlines increasingly unbundling their fares and selling a wider range of extras... It's a real paradox - on one had the choice is fantastic for passengers, but on the other, it makes flight search and comparison tedious and complex - with some people visiting 38 websites before making a booking". [more - original PR]