DESPUES DE UNA SEMANA DE SUFRIMIENTOS, LLEGO LA CALMA, time for a trip ja!?

VOLAR CON INTERNET

Exactamente como ustedes lo han visto. No se, que tan grande sea el impacto de comprar tu boleto de avion e imprimirlo en tu casa o en un kiosko en el aeropuerto en los paises latinoamericanos, pero en USA es una cifra que cada dia aumenta enormemente. Les regalo un resultado de un estudio en donde nos dice cuantas personas compran sus boletos en linea y porque las empresas estan dirigiendo a sus compradores al internet. Enjoy!

35 million sign up
According to a survey by the Travel Industry Association of America, more than 35 million online travelers have signed up with an airline Web site or online travel service to receive e-mail offers and promotions. According to the same survey, 10 million people said they were influenced last year by an e-mail promotion to take a trip they otherwise would not have taken.

The airline industry is doing such a good job of driving customers to its Web sites, some have even closed city ticket offices and reduced airport staff.

"When they drive you to their Web site for an automated check-in, they're not only saving you time in line at the airport, they're getting you accustomed to their Web site," said Terry Trippler, an airline-industry expert who runs the online travel service cheapseats.com. "It's a win-win situation for the airlines. It's very, very good marketing."

Why the big push?
Well, revenue, of course, particularly from business travelers. According to the sixth annual Travel Trends study by PhoCusWright, Sherman, Conn., 23% of all corporate travel bookings in the U.S. last year were made online. That came to $18.8 billion in airline, hotel and car-rental bookings.

The study also estimated that online bookings will almost double to $36.5 billion in 2006. Phenomenon? Hardly. Many companies are instituting travel policies that have their employees book online to find the best fares and avoid paying fees to travel agencies. McDonald's Corp., for instance, last year moved its travel planning for North American employees from Carlson Wagonlit, the nationwide corporate-travel company, to the online service Orbitz. (UNO DE MIS FAVORITOS)

QUIENES EMPEZARON CON LAS TARIFAS MAS BAJAS PARA VIAJAR EN US?Certainly, the success of low-fare start-up JetBlue helped push the bigger carriers to this point. From its inception in early 2000, JetBlue drove customers to its Web site with its advertising. Within two years, 68% of its bookings were online.

Today, that number is 75%. By contrast, about 55% of Southwest's bookings are online and an average 22% of reservations for the major carriers are made online.

BRANDING ~ LANDOR NY~ DELTA AIRLINES
"The Web is the great liberalizer. People can do it from their desk and that makes everybody equal," said Richard Ford, executive creative director for brand consultancy Landor, New York. Landor has worked with Delta for the last 10 years to create a synergy in its advertising, in everything from corporate branding to TV spots to having the same look on its Web site and airport kiosks.

QUE ESTAN OFRECIENDO AEROLINEAS Y AGENCIAS DE VIAJES VIRTUALES COMO ORBITZ?
Moreover, the Web sites have to be the equal of the online travel services, such as Orbitz. To that end, both Song and Southwest, for instance, have instituted features on their respective sites that offer alternative fares. On flysong.com, a prompt will ask a customer if he can fly on a Tuesday, instead of Monday, or at 5 p.m. instead of 11 a.m., if he's looking for a cheaper fare.

On southwest.com, the Southwest Shortcut does much the same. The Web site includes a calendar on the booking page that gives a color diagram for when certain fares and flights are available as an alternative to what a customer originally punched in.

Co-exist with travel sites
That doesn't necessarily mean the airlines have abandoned the travel sites. Delta, Song, United and many others continue to have their fares posted on Orbitz, Travelocity and Expedia, among others.

"It's the equivalent of shelf space," Mr. Mapes said. "It gives us a breadth of options."

Y CUAL HA SIDO EL CAMBIO DE LOS VIAJES Y SUS AEROLINEAS?
Now the flights are horrible, the seats are crammed and the food is bad. But the ground experience of being able to buy a flight and print a boarding pass from your bedroom is getting better by the day."

fuente: adage.com
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