Trade has 'little to fear' from Skyscanner package tool

Travel entrepreneur Steve Endacott has revealed he is “unimpressed” by Skyscanner’s new package holidays function and suggested the trade need not be concerned by the feature.

The search engine, which has claimed to be bringing together more than 25 million packages every day from major tour operators and online travel agencies, said its move would “shake up a traditional part of the travel industry”.

But Endacott, chairman of Neural Voice, which offers AI consulting services, said he was “unimpressed” by the initial offering.

“This is not going to have a major impact,” he said. “It’s currently very weak, but I expect it to improve.”

He added that travel agents should “not be too worried” by the new service, which offers packages from brands including Tui, Jet2, easyJet holidays, lastminute.com, Expedia, Loveholidays and On The Beach.

Cat King, global commercial vice-president at Skyscanner, said: “By applying our smart technology and unrivalled pricing data to package holidays, we’re doing what Skyscanner is known for – comparing the best options and taking the stress out of planning.”

The company confirmed it would ensure prices follow new Competition and Markets Authority rules which stipulate all charges, including in-resort fees and taxes, must be included in figures displayed to customers.

Endacott’s criticism included the claim that the lowest price is not shown most prominently. He also said the tool only shows prices based on the cheapest flight option rather than the flight times that customers want.