A recent study made by Diggin Travel Research shows that 85% of airlines are unhappy with their websites. That is pretty shocking. A website is the most important shop, the storefront. It should be easy to navigate and you as a consumer should feel trust and comfort with the functionality.
How did it get so bad? Personally, I think the main reason is not investing in retail technology but it could also be fear of change and also doing the same safe thing for so long.
Are Online travel agents better in providing the services you need rather than the airlines or rail companies?
I don’t know about you but I would love to find out what really happens to that feedback I provide. Have you noticed that there is never any feedback on the feedback.? The main problems that I have with airline and other travel suppliers’ websites are
- Difficult to make changes
- Hard to understand the terms and conditions, is there a refund?
- What is included or not and what does it mean?
- Do I need to buy insurance or anything else that is suggested?
- Whenever I want to do something a little different like a stopover it is so complex, why?
- Sometimes I feel lost, there is no chatbot and no contact and even worse I have to call and wait forever.
And then there is all that is missing. Why is it that I can’t buy those concert tickets that I am looking for? Or those rail tickets? Or why isn’t there easy access to finding out about trains and connections and other “stuff” that I need.
And discounts with partners? I would love it if I could get an Uber discount.
Then there are the newsletters. I simply don’t understand why I get offers to Kiev mid-winter or explore Lviv in February? Why not ask me where I like to go? I wish I could list my favourite destinations.
I also wonder about sustainability; it would be great if I could understand what the suppliers’ vision is and what does it really mean when I compensate, it is rather vague.
There are of course those 15% of airlines that do it well and some do it exceptionally well. I love these airlines.
I am curious to know what you think. What makes a website great? Do you feel trust? What does a great website mean to you? What matters most? Are you willing to pay some more just because you trust the brand?
Which sites do you like and why
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