Changes need to be made to the current set up for online travel booking services - as some of the facilities are proving problematic for broadband users, it has been suggested.

Following the publication of a new report in which the Air Transport Users Council (AUC) said it had handled around 12,307 complaints and enquiries over the 2008/2009 season - in comparison to the 11,077 recorded the previous year - a spokeswoman for eDigitalResearch noted there are clearly some things that need to be looked at.

Michelle Fuller, director of the digital market research company, explained that although many internet users are able to research the destinations they want to go to with no issues, in some cases websites are letting them down when it comes to the search and booking processes for flights and accommodation.

She added that some of the areas web surfers were finding problematic were related to multiple destinations and an inability to get customer service help from someone they can speak to directly to.

Ms Fuller suggested airlines and holiday companies should be looking at the whole process if they want to make the system better for broadband users rather than focusing on a single section.

"They need to understand who their customers are, why they are at your site and make it easier for everybody at every stage. Everybody has different needs - someone researching has a different need to someone who is there to book," she concluded.

It was noted by the AUC the increase in online bookings, coupled with a tendency for airlines to alter their systems, would inevitably make matters worse.

Categories: Broadband, Broadband Products

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