Radical Shift From 'Early Bird' to 'Last Minute' Flight Bookings, Reports Skyscanner

EDINBURGH, Scotland, February 2 - Flight comparison site Skyscanner (www.Skyscanner.net) has
reported a significant change in the way people are booking flights since the
global downturn began.

Examining data for three of its most popular routes from the UK,
Skyscanner found that, although overall search numbers were up in 2008, users
searched for flights an average of 146 days ahead of when they planned to
travel, but in 2009 this dropped to just 34 days.

Barry Smith, Skyscanner co-founder and director commented:

"There are two obvious reasons for this trend for later bookings. In the
middle of the UK's worst recession in decades, many people didn't want to
book holidays too far in advance, in case they lost their jobs.

"People also need to feel confident about the viability of airlines. Over
the last 18 months, a number of airlines have folded and people are much more
cautious of losing flights if they book too far ahead.

"The irony of this is that although people are understandably keen to be
financially prudent, it can be self-defeating as it's almost always cheaper
to book flights in advance - prices tend to rise the closer you get to the
date of departure."

This wisdom was reinforced by cheap flight hunters commenting on
Skyscanner's Facebook (www.facebook.com/skyscanner) page:

"I book early if possible - it's definitely cheaper. I pay on my credit
card so don't care if an airline goes bust - that is what insurance is for,"
said one user.

About Skyscanner

Skyscanner is a leading travel search site based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Skyscanner provides instant online comparison on flight prices for over
67,000 routes on over 600 airlines, as well as car hire, hotel and holiday
price comparison. With Skyscanner, users can browse without having to enter
specific dates or even destinations, and Skyscanner is available in 20
different languages including French, German and Spanish.

www.skyscanner.net

Press contact: Sam Baldwin, Travel Editor & Press Officer, sam at skyscanner.net, Tel: +44(0)131-252-5353