Creating the ultimate airfare website...thoughts?
Nov 13, 2008 | 11:22 am
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: New York, NY
Programs: BAEC Gold, Delta Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, AMEX Platinum (US)
Posts: 18,543
Getaway Maps like on Farecompare.com would be cool.
http://www.farecompare.com/maps/comp...tinations.html
I also like the way Farecompare shows you the price of F or YUP/QUP to every destination from your airport and you can then break it down by carrier too.
http://www.farecompare.com/search/yu...?departure=RIC
http://www.farecompare.com/maps/comp...tinations.html
I also like the way Farecompare shows you the price of F or YUP/QUP to every destination from your airport and you can then break it down by carrier too.
http://www.farecompare.com/search/yu...?departure=RIC
Nov 13, 2008 | 11:41 am
#18
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: San Jose, California, USA
Programs: AS Plat, UA MM, AA MM, IC Plat, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,167
#1: All-in pricing that allows you to specify elite status, number of checked bags, etc., and factors in all the new airline fees in the airfare listing. Obvious benefit there to overcome the limitations of sorting flight options by base fare when the out-of-pocket cost is much higher.
#2: Departure & arrival times as "hard" parameters that won't produce any results outside those times. This is helpful when booking weekend trips to depart just after the workday ends on Friday and return just before the workday begins on Monday. It could also be used in reverse, to list only flight options that arrive prior to (and depart after) a meeting or other important event.
#3: Sorting of flight options based on FF value (cost per FF mile earned).
#2: Departure & arrival times as "hard" parameters that won't produce any results outside those times. This is helpful when booking weekend trips to depart just after the workday ends on Friday and return just before the workday begins on Monday. It could also be used in reverse, to list only flight options that arrive prior to (and depart after) a meeting or other important event.
#3: Sorting of flight options based on FF value (cost per FF mile earned).
Nov 18, 2008 | 3:27 pm
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2005
Location: FAR/MSP/JAX
Programs: DL PM, AA PPro, Bonvoy Plat, Hertz Prez Circle, National Exec, HH Gold, IHG Gold
Posts: 62
Any further discussion? I thoroughly enjoyed reading some of your points. I am doing some work in school in regards to consumers and online airfare websites, and I needed some user input -- and I'm certainly happy with what I got.
Thanks again, and please feel free to continue brainstorming...
Thanks again, and please feel free to continue brainstorming...
Nov 18, 2008 | 6:15 pm
#21
Join Date: May 2005
Location: various cities in the USofA: NYC, BWI, IAH, ORD, CVG, NYC
Programs: Former UA 1K, National Exec. Elite
Posts: 5,487
How? The amount of data to cache hourly would be geographically staggering.
Let's say I want to fly out of PDX, and the dream map options are $250, $50, $750, $1000 and $1500. Every hour the system needs to calculate every destination from PDX, from San Diego to Reykjavik to Salem to Naples (both of them) and cache the fares, then do the same thing for every other airport code.
Let's say I want to fly out of PDX, and the dream map options are $250, $50, $750, $1000 and $1500. Every hour the system needs to calculate every destination from PDX, from San Diego to Reykjavik to Salem to Naples (both of them) and cache the fares, then do the same thing for every other airport code.
Then you filter the published fares to only look at "interesting" fares (low cost per mile, significantly cheaper than normal low fares, etc.)
Then you think about searching the GDSs for availability.
Then you only update if people actually look, or are expected to look.
And so on.