Turned away at checkout: Why even young travelers struggle with booking websites

Accessiway is a European provider of digital accessibility solutions. A representative survey of 2,500 consumers aged 18 and over in Germany, commissioned by Accessiway and conducted by market research firm Civey, has produced some interesting, if sobering, findings.

Accessiway's latest “Travel Check” reveals that digital barriers pose a significant problem for the travel industry. More than half of all respondents said they had abandoned a travel booking at some point. This is by no means an issue limited to older people who are less familiar with the internet. Among respondents aged 18 to 29, the proportion was as high as 69 percent.

The biggest problems arise during the booking process itself: payment failures, confusing websites, and difficult-to-use forms make it harder to complete a reservation. Issues with mobile displays, pop-ups, CAPTCHA challenges, and hard-to-understand text also prompt users to abandon the process. Hidden fees may also play a role, particularly when unexpected charges are added as customers proceed through the booking process, as is the case with some airlines.

Younger travelers are more likely to experience problems with mobile usability, while people aged 40 to 49 are particularly likely to encounter payment failures. Women report difficulties with forms, website structure, and text that is too small more often than men do.

For travel providers, these barriers pose a substantial financial risk. Abandoned bookings can mean lost revenue. Accessiway therefore considers digital accessibility a key factor in conversion rates, customer satisfaction, and the commercial success of digital booking platforms — including for users without disabilities.

However, the findings should be interpreted with some caution. After all, Accessiway commissioned the study and has a commercial interest in persuading other companies to hire its services to improve the accessibility of their websites and booking systems.

Accessiway

A C64 marked my entry into the world of PCs. I spent my student internship in the repair department of a computer shop and at the end of the day I was allowed to assemble my own 486 PC from “workshop remnants”. As a result of this, I later studied computer science at the Humboldt University in Berlin, with psychology also being added to my studies. After my first job as a research assistant at the university, I went to London for a year and worked for Sega in computer game translation quality assurance. This included working on games such as Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed and Company of Heroes. I have been writing for Notebookcheck since 2017.