Online booking rates at airline and hotel web sites dipped in the third quarter, as the summer season ended and more consumers shopped around for last minute deals, according to Compete, a Boston-based online market research firm. The declines marked the second consecutive quarter of slowed booking rates, with domestic airline carrier web sites averaging a 6.7 percent booking rate down from 6.9 percent in Q2. Declines at hotel chain web sites were even worse, with a booking rate of 4.75 percent, down from 5.25 percent in Q2. Agency web sites weren't immune to the decline either, as airline shoppers on agency web sites fell from 4.5 percent to 4.05 percent, while hotel shoppers dropped from 4.8 percent to 4.4 percent.
