Comments on: Finding special fares http://etrip.wordpress.com/2007/04/05/finding-special-fares/ How to change the travel world? Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:11:00 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: A wake-up call for the travel industry « Etrip Travel Blog http://etrip.wordpress.com/2007/04/05/finding-special-fares/#comment-993 A wake-up call for the travel industry « Etrip Travel Blog Tue, 06 Nov 2007 14:21:56 +0000 http://etrip.wordpress.com/2007/04/05/finding-special-fares/#comment-993 [...] of search through multiple sources. A problem that travel search engines are not solving, as we identified earlier this year. C. Customers prefer to use specialists to help them make difficult travel [...] [...] of search through multiple sources. A problem that travel search engines are not solving, as we identified earlier this year. C. Customers prefer to use specialists to help them make difficult travel [...]

]]> By: Jon Cockerill http://etrip.wordpress.com/2007/04/05/finding-special-fares/#comment-6 Jon Cockerill Thu, 26 Apr 2007 10:00:02 +0000 http://etrip.wordpress.com/2007/04/05/finding-special-fares/#comment-6 OK, let's imagine you create a search engine that finds the best fare, regardless of commission. Everyone comes to use it. Then the airlines that pay commission stop doing so, because they don't need to. But you need revenue for al the servers to power this huge traffic, so you start charging for top position, or whatever, to make some money. We are back to a distorted picture. Interesting though. Cheers OK, let’s imagine you create a search engine that finds the best fare, regardless of commission. Everyone comes to use it. Then the airlines that pay commission stop doing so, because they don’t need to. But you need revenue for al the servers to power this huge traffic, so you start charging for top position, or whatever, to make some money. We are back to a distorted picture.

Interesting though.

Cheers

]]> By: Oz Har Adir http://etrip.wordpress.com/2007/04/05/finding-special-fares/#comment-5 Oz Har Adir Thu, 19 Apr 2007 17:15:43 +0000 http://etrip.wordpress.com/2007/04/05/finding-special-fares/#comment-5 Hey Jon, An early version of the site is on the air at: www.etrip.nl The answer to the question depends on the respondent. If it is Kayak/Farecast/Sidestep - their answer should be: 'Our job is to organize info from selected travel sites and help make the purchase process easier and faster.' If you ask us, we would have a different answer. More like: 'Our job is to find the best prices available on the web, whether we get paid for it (by the airline/travel agency) or not. We work for the customer, not for the selling website.' If this statement sounds bogus, try to count how many times would a search in Kayak actually send you to the website of airlines like KLM, Air France, Cathay Pacific, SAS and others. I would even be more precise: Look for an Easyjet flight through Kayak.com. Then look for it at Kayak.co.uk. What is the difference in the sites offered for this flight? why is it there? and what does it tell us about the current market of Travel search engines? As the answer for these questions is logic, I would leave an open question: Is there a room for change there? Hey Jon,
An early version of the site is on the air at: http://www.etrip.nl

The answer to the question depends on the respondent.
If it is Kayak/Farecast/Sidestep – their answer should be: ‘Our job is to organize info from selected travel sites and help make the purchase process easier and faster.’

If you ask us, we would have a different answer. More like:
‘Our job is to find the best prices available on the web, whether we get paid for it (by the airline/travel agency) or not.
We work for the customer, not for the selling website.’

If this statement sounds bogus, try to count how many times would a search in Kayak actually send you to the website of airlines like KLM, Air France, Cathay Pacific, SAS and others.
I would even be more precise:
Look for an Easyjet flight through Kayak.com. Then look for it at Kayak.co.uk.
What is the difference in the sites offered for this flight? why is it there? and what does it tell us about the current market of Travel search engines?

As the answer for these questions is logic, I would leave an open question:
Is there a room for change there?

]]> By: Jon Cockerill http://etrip.wordpress.com/2007/04/05/finding-special-fares/#comment-4 Jon Cockerill Thu, 19 Apr 2007 17:04:13 +0000 http://etrip.wordpress.com/2007/04/05/finding-special-fares/#comment-4 Good Question - but where's the answer? And what happened to that March release date? Jon Good Question – but where’s the answer? And what happened to that March release date?

Jon

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