UX things to watch out for when travelling

Holidays are often one of the most exciting times of the year, but sometimes the process of getting there can have some niggles. We thought we’d share some of the UX issues we have experienced over the past year when booking and travelling on holiday. Not only will this help you to look out for them when you travel, but we will also explore ways in which these problems can be overcome.

Experimenting with your options:

UX issue

One of the very first things you do when going on holiday is finding the best flights and then getting them booked. This can sometimes be a tedious process when certain features are not available.

Have you ever found yourself trying to figure out which airport is best to fly out from, but have been unable to select multiple airports in the search? The process of going back and forth to repeatedly check each airport can be time-consuming and is made more frustrating when there is no option to compare.

Similarly, when trying to find the best dates to fly, you may find yourself going back and forth with the date selection calendar to try out different combinations before finding the best price or times.

Our recommendation

When it comes to usability, saving time is always a huge perk for users. This is why we love sites that offer the ability to select multiple airports, include a smart calendar with prices for each date, and allow you to compare results side by side. These features allow users to see all their options in one glimpse, making the process of searching for flights more efficient.

Passport expiry dates:

UX issue

When asked to enter your passport details you might only then take note of the details such as when it expires. You might think you’re more than okay with a few months left till it expires, but this is often not the case with many counties only excepting passports with at least 6 months validity left.

In some cases, when checking in online and entering all your passport details this is something that’s not flagged to the user. It can then cause chaos at the airport when passengers are not allowed to board their flight.

Our recommendation

While everyone is ultimately responsible for checking their own passport validity, that doesn’t get the airline off the hook. As part of a leading user experience, we encourage airlines to make customers aware of passport rules when booking and to flag any issues when entering details in advance. We’re sure reminders from other travel providers would go a long way to supporting users too!

Confusing entry requirements:

UX issue

As well as checking your passport to see if you will be accepted into the country, there might be some other things to check if travelling outside of Europe. Visa requirements and vaccination requirements are things to look out for when travelling to certain places such as America or Africa.

When it comes to entry requirements, these can often be very confusing and overwhelming to understand. What’s required versus recommended can often be difficult to distinguish due to legal or medical jargon, and various sources stating different things. As a result, it can take extra research to decipher which ones are in fact correct.

Our recommendation

Whilst many airlines signpost to information on entry requirements at the point of booking, we feel more could be done to make this information easy to digest:

• Provide information in a tailored format, based on what is known about the customer, such as their age and citizenship.
• Use clear headings, icons, colour to indicate what is and isn’t required for entry.
• Offer step by step instructions for tasks that need to be completed (e.g. applying for a Visa), with direct links to reliable sources.

Differing guidelines when traveling with multiple airlines:

UX issue

If you’re going to be travelling with multiple airlines on your trip, you may need to do a little more research than perhaps you thought.

Often different airlines will have varying rules for things like baggage allowances and check in times. Some may allow a small carry-on suitcase free of charge and 25kg of checked luggage, whereas your next flight might only allow carry-on handbags and a checked limit of 23kg. Similarly, one airline may close check-in 60 minutes before departure, while another might be 30 minutes.

Our recommendation

These types of nuances are the things you need to check for before you fly to make sure everything runs smoothly. Ideally, we would like to see the company flights are booked through provide users with a document (upon booking) outlining key differences and things to note. Or, even if you were to book multiple flights via various companies yourself, perhaps they could offer a way to consolidate and compare the information in one place. This would ultimately take the hard work out of the process for you.

Conclusion:

Now that you know of some UX things to look out for, we hope that you can avoid these to have a smooth and relaxing holiday next time around. As airlines and airline aggregators continue to develop, we are sure many of these issues will soon be resolved to make our holidays easier. Until then, safe travels!