So.. I just got back from Vegas, which has me thinking about the usefulness of travel booking sites. Traditional travel booking sites just don’t seem to get it. There was probably a time when these sites were very helpful. Way back in the B.G. (before Google) era, when people weren’t as savvy about going to an actual airlines site, or a hotel site, it was probably helpful. Now, people go to these sites, look for what’s cheapest and then go to the actual airline site where the flight will be slightly cheaper. Now these sites are banking on adding extra services and packages to try to compensate for their general lack of usefulness for the non-internet-intelligent (a shrinking population)
Then there are the referral sites, these seem to be headed in the right direction - but I think they are merely a piece of the puzzle. The process of showing prices to customers, then sending them to the airline’s site for a referral fee - is much closer to actual user behavior so it makes for a more useful and rewarding experience. My question is, why don’t the bundler’s add the referral function into their site? Use the bundler to look for prices, but give me the option of how I want to purchase the flight - either from the bundling site directly or through the airline or hotel. This way all of the customers that would leave anyway count for at least some revenue.
Then there’s the second piece - the add-ons. There’s a certain company that is trying to build a social network around travel conditions. This seems a little foolish - and this isn’t a replication of how people normally travel. Again the companies are trying to force customers out of their norms. Worst of all the information that is provided via this service really isn’t that helpful. Sure I can see how long the security line is right before I walk up to it… but what choice do I have at that point? And if I check it earlier, what are the chances the condition will be the same? These companies would be better off giving customers helpful information tailored to their needs throughout their trip. I don’t care about using the web on my phone to find out about a security line, but I would like to know about a lot of other things while I’m actually at my destination. Give me recommendations and partner with business in top destinations to give me access to discounts and offers that I can only get if I book through your service. This is the type of information that is always going to be useful and enticing.
Unless there is a change to start providing useful information and services that actually mirror or enhance real life behavior, travelers will continue to make alternate plans.