According to a study by
WebCredible,improvements in website usabilityare
needed across the travel and airline industries, which
mustharness Web 2.0
technology.
The report examined the websites of 20 of the UK's online travel
agents and airline carriers. Each website studied was evaluated
against a set of 20 best practice guidelines and assigned a score
of zero to five for each guideline, using a system that was
developed by Webcredible specifically for travel websites.
Travel agents achieved just 55% usability and airline carriers
only 48%. In an industry in which margins are slim, and
self-service could give an operator a distinct business advantage,
this could be an expensive failing, suggested the report.
The standard varied enormously, although profitability did not
seem linked to usability. Although Opodo, British Airways, and
Travelbag scored more than 60% on their ability to offer customer
usability functions, Ryan Air and Monarch airlines - at the other
end of the scale - achieved around 40%.
Ryan Air was criticised for the lack of transparency of its
pricing.
Meanwhile, many of the top internet brands performed very
poorly, only scoring about 50% on the usability scale. On average
travel agents - led by online specialists such as Opodo and
Travelbag - scored 55% and the airline carriers achieved 48%.
Ismail Ismail, director at Webcredible, said that transparency
of pricing is important to a company's success, despite the fact
that it has not affected Ryan Air adversely. "Users need clear and
accurate pricing displayed all their way through their web site
journey. It is not acceptable to add hidden charges at the very end
of a transaction process - this is something that a number of
airline carriers are guilty of."
Ismail said there was a general failure to embrace Web 2.0
technologies, with few sites able to provide their users with such
rudimentary sharing tool features as options to "e-mail a
friend".
"It is surprising that many of the sites tested have not
embraced the spirit of Web 2.0, considering its growth in recent
years. Booking a holiday is often a social experience and the
ability to interact and share the booking process with friends and
family is essential," he said.
With the European air travel industry worth around £38.6bn,
Ismail warned that top travel sites must use every IT advantage
available in a highly competitive market.
"Increasing the usability of a travel website will enhance the
success users have in finding and booking flights - it is as simple
as that. Better usability will also lead to a rise in loyalty and
return site visitors, and an improvement in the perception of the
online and offline brand," he said.