Overview
Skyscanner, established in 2003 by three IT professionals, is a comprehensive travel search engine widely recognized for its ability to find cheap flights, alongside deals for car rentals and hotels. It has expanded its offerings significantly over the years, now serving more than 100 million users monthly, with an extensive database covering a vast range of travel options.
Key Features
- Global Flight Search: Skyscanner excels in searching for flights across the globe, offering an extensive database that covers most airlines and flights.
- Intuitive User Interface: The platform is user-friendly, allowing easy comparison of flights, hotels, and car rentals, with filters to tailor searches to specific needs.
- Multi-City Feature: Ideal for planning complex itineraries with multiple destinations.
- Flexible Date Searches: Offers a month calendar view to find the cheapest days to fly.
- Best, Cheapest, Fastest Flights: Displays a breakdown of flight options based on these criteria.
- Price Alert Setup: Users can receive notifications when flight prices change.
- Explore Everywhere Option: Enables searches for the cheapest flights from any selected airport globally.
- Savings Generator Tool: Uses past flight data to offer insights on the best times to book for savings.
- Hotel and Rental Car Search: Launched in 2014, it aggregates various booking sites to find the best accommodation and car rental deals.
Strengths and Limitations
- Strengths: Its broad coverage of flights and user-friendly interface make it a popular choice for travelers seeking affordable options. The Explore Everywhere feature and the multi-city search are particularly useful for flexible and complex travel planning.
- Limitations: Not all airlines and flights are covered, and the platform doesn’t work offline. There are no promotional codes available, and some users find the interface cluttered with too many ads.
Skyscanner’s User Experience
- Positive Feedback: Users appreciate Skyscanner for its comprehensive flight options, ease of use, and the ability to find cheaper alternatives compared to other platforms like Expedia or Kayak.
- Negative Feedback: Some users feel that the interface is overcrowded and that the presence of too many ads can be distracting.
Conclusion
Skyscanner is a powerful tool for travelers, especially those looking for affordable flight options and flexible travel planning. Its user-friendly interface, combined with a vast database of flights, hotels, and car rentals, makes it a go-to platform for many travelers worldwide. While it has its limitations, such as coverage gaps and an occasionally overwhelming interface, its strengths in providing comprehensive travel options and flexibility in planning make it a valuable resource for budget-conscious travelers