ftnoob -
Wow! I really didn't anticpate you spending even this much time on a response - I certainly don't want you to spend countless hours on it - I know your time is valuable - and we have a whole team of software engineers to figure all of that out.
As I stated in another thread, I do speak a little geek . . .but I'm definately not a software engineer - I'm a marketing guy! so most of the detailed analysis you offer would really be a bit lost on me.
Basically, I was wanting to know what part of the "plan trip" and "search" functions the OP was finding lacking.
Although you are correct that most of us don't have a "need" to use other travel websites, we are by nature curious - and always interested in what our competitors (including other airlines and travel sites) are offering, so we spend a fair amount of time doing competitive research. Keep in mind that Southwest has always taken the "keep it simple" approach, and we don't add "bells and whistles" just for the sake of having them. We have to know that they actually provide value to our Customers or the company.
We do have our own list of both design and functionality goals - and, you are correct I cannot share them publicly - I'm sure you understand that our competitors would be very interested in knowing what we have planned.
I can answer some of your specific questions though:
- What year was the southwest.com web interface to the booking engine deployed? April 30, 1996
- Was it an internal project or was it developed by an outside contractor? Developed Internally
- If internal, how many, if any, of the original developers still with the company? I'm honestly not sure - but I know some of them are
- Is the online team separate from the team working on the back-end systems? If they are the same group I can see that it would be difficult to take them away from the back-end work to spend time on the other parts of the system. This is where it starts to get really complicated, and takes us back to where SWABrian started with this thread. There are a fixed number of IT Employees, and while they are typically dedicated to specific areas, you can't really redevelop the backend without modifying the front end and vice versa. So all projects involving the website are fighting for the same fixed set of resources. There are also inter-dependancies with other internal systems, so in some cases even if we had the resources to update the website - we may not be able to get those other systems updated due to other projects on their plates. Remember that the website is really a front end to all of the same back-end systems used by all of our other departments. Every department has its wish list - and when resources are shared, there has to be prioritization of projects. Projects that save on costs or generate revenue will always get prioritized above the "nice-to-haves". We are tackling all of the changes that Gary refers to (Rapid Rewards, Codeshare, web redesign, new ticketing system, and new airport computer system) with a "big picture view" so that they all work together seamlessly going forward and provide cost savings, revenue opportunities, and Customer convenience.
Finally, Yes, I have read the other threads you refer to, and have gotten some great ideas from them. I incorporate many of those ideas into the ongoing discussions about where the website is going in the future. In fact, while I am a new poster - I have read nearly every post in this forum for the last several years.