Expedia.co.uk has announced a significant update to its existing free mobile app to allow UK travellers to instantly research and book flights on more than 130 airlines via a sleek new interface.

While this newest update still allows travellers to book from over 140,000 hotel properties, Brits will now also enjoy access to exclusive mobile-only hotel deals of up to 30 per cent off properties worldwide all brought to life with new, crisp destination imagery.

Insights from Expedia data show that mobile app bookings differ from those made on the desktop reflecting more immediate travel needs. 

Over 60 per cent of people using the mobile app on their phones are booking within 24 hours of their stay, and over 80 per cent opt for a hotel within ten miles of their current location.

As a result, the app default settings are designed around bookings in the next few days.

The app also affords travellers the information about the flight and hotel availability (as well as cancellation messaging) that they expect to see when booking on Expedia’s desktop site.

“Ten per cent of Expedia customers are already using a mobile device to make a booking, and this trend will only continue to grow with Juniper research predicting mobile shopping will increase by 50 per cent by 2014.

“Our job is to make the mobile experience quick and simple for those wanting to make reservations on the go.

“Our app is not just bringing the desktop experience to mobile, but using the platform to create such an intuitive, simple experience it masks the underlying intelligence behind it,” said Andy Washington, managing director, Expedia UK & Ireland.

“We are a marketplace. People come to us to explore a broad range of flight and hotel booking options.

“The ability to refine that choice in seconds is increasingly important to help people to quickly find the right travel options for them, wherever they are.

2With the new update we’re giving travellers everything they need to book whilst on the go in a rich and engaging app designed with mobile at its core.”