Airline Websites

[Kiwi Flyer]

First they want us to use website by charging more for phone bookings. Then the airline website has so many glitches you have to ring.

Its probably just coincidence (good thing I'm not paranoid) but in the past hour looking at various upcoming trips I encountered airline website booking engine failure at all of the following

Qantas
Singapore
Cathay
United

 

[Mal]

The airlines and hotels and other places all want us to move our transactions online and away from Travel Agents/call centres.

Why? Because the online distribution model cuts out several expenses and reduces commission to third parties.

However the issue is whether the online booking engine can handle all of the connections and complicated tickets. Sometimes it breaks as you have shown.

Hopefully these airlines/hotels are putting the right amount of budget into InfoTech to reduce these issues and make the booking systems easier.

Then again, they probably want that extra money saved to go straight back to the shareholders...

It's great isn't it!

 

[Yada Yada]

Yes, unfortunately the airline websites are a long way behind what we'd all like them to do.

For my upcoming trip to SIN, the QF website was able to provide an award ticket routing from SYD via MEL, but I could not get a decent price to pay for a second ticket on the same routing. I had to get my TA to do that.

I guess the websites will eventually catch up. It's a pity we can't just have access to the systems that TA's use.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

I forgot to include Emirates.

That's 5 airline websites looking for simple routings (not the same one for all these airlines!) on paid tickets and unable to.

:evil: :evil: :evil:

 

[JohnK]

In today's day and age where the emphasis is on bottom line the majority of companies are not allocating/spending anywhere near enough on IT. The result is that we are encouraged to use an inferior, incomplete product.

They win regardless!

 

[serfty]

BA.com is not too bad: Plan your trip

 

[aus_flyer]

Sometimes when the booking engine breaks down, this is not the fault of the airline, rather the booking system - such as Amadeus.

Although this doesn't explain all the websites you experienced going down (because only a couple of them use Amadeus).