tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67114010980825922412024-03-05T06:21:46.866-08:00Travel CaptchaOnline Travel Technology StuffRazvan Militaruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03605359494419388617noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711401098082592241.post-65370639718177646362010-01-22T13:08:00.000-08:002010-03-17T14:02:12.532-07:00Priceline's Big deal<p><span style="font-size:100%;">This week, <a href="http://www.priceline.com/">priceline.com</a> rolled out its 2010 TV campaign featuring the actor William Shatner (well-known for his Star Trek role). For years, Priceline's official spokesperson has been William Shatner who agreed to do the spots for free in exchange for stock. He was "replaced" in 2004 by his Star Trek fellow Leonard Nimoy but in</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> 2007 a new ad campaign transformed Shatner in the role of Priceline's "Negotiator".</span></p><p><span style="font-size:100%;">In the new campaign, Shatner continues in his role as The Priceline Negotiator. But this time, he's joined by a new sidekick, Big Deal. The TV spot highlights the leading savings the customers can get when they use Priceline's Name Your Own Price hotel service.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></p><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1U0ohKpz84Y&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1U0ohKpz84Y&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Razvan Militaruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03605359494419388617noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711401098082592241.post-22519502209604513072009-12-21T23:53:00.000-08:002009-12-22T00:00:13.392-08:00It's that time for online travel predictionsPhocuswright has again rolled-out its predictions for online travel. This time the focus is Europe.<br /><br />Here are five predictions for the European online travel market in 2010 from the new <a href="http://www.phocuswright.com/research_publications_buy_a_report/918?utm_campaign=Five%20Online%20Travel%20Predictions%20for%20Europe%20in%202010&utm_content=rmilitaru@amadeus.ro&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_term=PhoCusWright%27s%20European%20Online%20Travel%20Overview%20Fifth%20Edition">report</a>:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Online travel will account for more than one-third of the total European travel market.</span><br /><br />While the total European travel market experiences a double-digit decline, online leisure and unmanaged business travel will in fact grow slightly in 2009. As effects of the recession linger into next year, consumers are increasingly shopping online for better deals. Online penetration will surge from 28% in 2008 to 34% by 2010.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Priceline could become the largest pan-European online travel agency (OTA).</span><br /><br />Long in last place among the big four global online travel agencies (Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity being the other three), Priceline has gained ground dramatically since the onset of the recession and especially through the success of its main European acquisition, Booking.com. Amid Orbitz' stumbles and Expedia's catch-up play with Venere, Priceline is poised to become the number two OTA globally and quite possibly the largest OTA in Europe (although Expedia may have something to say about that…).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Metasearch will make it in Europe—finally.</span><br /><br />The highly fragmented European online travel shopping landscape—among OTAs and suppliers—could prove fertile ground for metasearch. Uptake of meta in Europe has lagged behind the U.S., but the growing incidence of online shopping is driving more consumers to visit metasearch sites when they plan their travel.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Germany gains ground amid the recession.</span><br /><br />The lumbering giant of Europe's online travel market is picking up plenty of regional market share. The country's strong cultural affinity for travel is helping prop up demand as other European markets falter. Germany's share of the European online travel market will jump from 17% in 2008 to 20% by 2011. Gute Reise!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. As larger markets mature, all eyes turn south—and east. </span><br /><br />The largest European travel market, the U.K., has over 40% online penetration. France and Germany are catching up. Now that the low-hanging fruit is gone, the online travel industry is looking to opportunities in less penetrated Southern and Eastern European markets. Emerging markets like Poland offer perhaps the most promising opportunities for growth.<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.phocuswright.com/">Phocuswright</a>Razvan Militaruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03605359494419388617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711401098082592241.post-61516279547039115162009-10-19T13:15:00.000-07:002009-10-19T13:41:11.398-07:00Travel at your fingertips<span>As a special interactive experience for the exhibition visitors at fvw congress in Cologne Sept 2009, TravelTainment (an Amadeus-owned subsidiary) presented online consultancy and booking using Microsoft's Surface Table. </span><br /><br />Microsoft Surface is a revolutionary multi-touch computer that responds to natural hand gestures and real-world objects, helping people interact with digital content in a simple and intuitive way. With a large, horizontal user interface, Surface offers a unique gathering place where multiple users can collaboratively and simultaneously interact with data and each other.<br /><br /><span>Travel agencies can soon offer advice to customers using Microsoft Surface Tables as a new central element for sales and consultancy. This is how its done: The customer and the travel agent operate the computer user interface hands-on and navigate to the destination area from a map of the world. Hotels and sights layers are shown on the map and further information and image material from the TravelTainment multimedia content is shown. Then, the chosen destination is sent directly to the TT BistroPortal from an interface on the travel agents PC.<br /></span><br />See in action below the Traveltainment layer on Google Maps and MS SurfaceTable.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/V8dl8tvTfjs&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/V8dl8tvTfjs&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><span></span>Razvan Militaruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03605359494419388617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711401098082592241.post-36882211501660255452009-08-26T00:09:00.000-07:002009-08-26T00:52:29.949-07:00United breaks guitars - part 2In my previous <a href="http://rmilitaru.blogspot.com/2009/07/united-breaks-guitars-funny-video-about.html">post</a> I was writing about an unhappy incident when United Airlines broke Dave Carroll's Taylor guitar (www.davecarrollmusic.com). The incident transformed into a funny song creating a great buzz on the net.<br /><br />That was the first one in a trilogy describing different experiences with United Airlines. Since my latest post, a second video has seen the light making me to realize and be ashamed that I write so rarely on this blog :). <br /><br />The second song is about airline's detracting policies apparently designed to frustrate customers into giving up their claims.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/h-UoERHaSQg&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/h-UoERHaSQg&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />Here are some of the Dave' thoughts after the success of the first United Breaks Guitars song (more info at <a href="http://www.davecarrollmusic.com">davecarrollmusic.com</a>).<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/T_X-Qoh__mw&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/T_X-Qoh__mw&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Razvan Militaruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03605359494419388617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711401098082592241.post-77389474888667224742009-07-10T13:10:00.000-07:002009-07-12T23:14:14.595-07:00United breaks guitars - Funny video about United AirlinesIf you are a musician think twice before you fly with United Airlines.<br /><br />"In the spring of 2008, <a href="http://www.sonsofmaxwell.com/">Sons of Maxwell </a>were traveling to Nebraska for a one-week tour and my Taylor guitar was witnessed being thrown by United Airlines baggage handlers in Chicago. I discovered later that the $3500 guitar was severely damaged. They didn’t deny the experience occurred but for nine months the various people I communicated with put the responsibility for dealing with the damage on everyone other than themselves and finally said they would do nothing to compensate me for my loss. So I promised the last person to finally say “no” to compensation (Ms. Irlweg) that I would write and produce three songs about my experience with United Airlines and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world. United: Song 1 is the first of those songs. United: Song 2 has been written and video production is underway. United: Song 3 is coming. I promise." (The original developing story at <a href="http://www.davecarrollmusic.com/story/united-breaks-guitars/">Davecarrollmusic.com</a>)<br /><br />He promised and he won. The video gathered 1,432,259 views and 9,237 comments on You Tube. Not bad at all!<br /><br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5YGc4zOqozo&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5YGc4zOqozo&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>Razvan Militaruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03605359494419388617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711401098082592241.post-33195436472281229432009-05-17T13:44:00.000-07:002009-05-20T07:38:20.636-07:00e-Power strikes back - The first Calendar airfare display has been launched for the Romanian OTAs<span lang="EN-GB">When planning a vacation, most of the end users are flexible with their travel dates, being more price sensitive than schedule sensitive. In order to ensure that the information provided matches their needs, a powerful +/-3 day search flexibility can be used in one shot for both outbound and inbound dates.<br /><br /></span><span lang="EN-GB"></span><span lang="EN-GB"></span>The long-waited feature of <a href="http://www.amadeus.com/travelagencies/x44173.html">Master Pricer Calendar</a> has been recently implemented in Amadeus Agency Internet Engine (e-Power) IBE and launched on the Romanian market in pilot phase.<br /><br /><span lang="EN-GB">The Calendar display improves end-consumers perception of their Online Agency in that it provides them with a reliable and friendly calendar but more than anything a clear visibility of their travel flexibility versus budget.</span><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhm9RAyoH80QvPIGodCj-9o6hi8hYFqxJv25Vpt0fIZtceqta2EXloGsKOK6Qt4WgCAvuKEj86_NNL3Pe293Ty3UuM2qk5Tf_FA0hG4JvydRsQV-PILYdPI5Lkz4pc89_racdRZ3em1KV/s1600-h/calendar1.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337821979543090498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 122px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhm9RAyoH80QvPIGodCj-9o6hi8hYFqxJv25Vpt0fIZtceqta2EXloGsKOK6Qt4WgCAvuKEj86_NNL3Pe293Ty3UuM2qk5Tf_FA0hG4JvydRsQV-PILYdPI5Lkz4pc89_racdRZ3em1KV/s200/calendar1.png" border="0" /></a>This new feature increases sales volumes and conversion rates as <span lang="EN-GB">the end user is proposed the best deals available on the market, enhancing the shopping experience, spotting the best fare in the market at a single glance and in a matter of seconds </span>. <span lang="EN-GB">The end users can find exactly what they want and do not need to go anywhere else</span>.<br /></div><br />Try now this new feature on <a href="http://www.paravion.ro/">Paravion.ro</a> and <a href="http://www.vola.ro/">Vola.ro</a> (more customers to follow very soon) by searching with +/- 3 days flexibility. <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Wingdings; 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Meanwhile it was proved that Ryanair's actions were not 100 % successful as, since that time, they <a href="http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/news.php?yr=09&month=apr&story=gen-en-160409">won</a> in several markets but in others they <a href="http://www.hotelmarketing.com/index.php/article/ryanair_stunned_by_spanish_court_decision/">failed</a>...or <a href="http://www.ryanair.com/site/CA/news.php?yr=08&month=oct&story=gen-ca-031008">not</a>....?!<br /><br />Recently, Ryanair's rival, Easyjet, has also initiated legal claims against a German software company, InteRes, whose tour operator clients include TUI and REWE Touristik (more details <a href="http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1135931.php">here</a> and <a href="http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/article/20090421121938368">here</a>). Unlike Ryanair, Easyjet has offered a connection alternative through its API, a more robust and reliable solution for Easyjet inventory distribution. The Easyjet proposal was rejected by the InteRes representatives.<br /><br />Jerry Dunn, easyJet’s distribution development manager, said: “We offer screen scrapers a commercially viable and fully licensed alternative form of distribution, which a majority of former scrapers have already signed up to.<br /><br />“We will not accept that some scrapers continue to go about their business to the detriment of our customers. Screen scraping causes many technical problems, mis-selling of our flights and consequently to numerous customer service problems.”<br /><br />Since its launching, the Easyjet API has been quickly embraced by large OTAs and <a href="http://www.amadeus.com/">GDS</a> in the detriment of screen-scrapping.Razvan Militaruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03605359494419388617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711401098082592241.post-82492579869169782082009-04-18T11:15:00.000-07:002009-04-18T11:29:48.446-07:00PhoCusWright Analysts Identify the Top 10 Travel Technology Trends for 2009PhoCusWright takes a fresh look at the technologies and innovations that have the potential to drive change in the travel, tourism and hospitality in its annual publication, <a href="http://www.phocuswright.com/research_publications_buy_a_report/594"><em>PhoCusWright’s 2009 Technology Trend Predictions</em></a>.<br /><br />Here they are:<br /><ol class="bodytext"><li><strong>Despite Market Woes, Pockets of Investment Still Exist</strong><br />"During economic downturns, innovation is the single most important condition for transforming the crisis into an opportunity." (Sami Mahroum, Research Director of Britain's National Endowment for Science, Technology & the Arts and a Visiting Reader at the School of Management, Birkbeck College, University of London) [IN].<br /></li><br /><li><strong>The Entire Trip Experience Will Be "Informationized"</strong><br />In the past, the main focus of the travel value chain has been those components that resulted in a booking. Access to further information was a challenge because of limitations of mobile devices, lack of acceptable technology in hotel rooms, language barriers and no clear business model. This is all about to change.<br /></li><br /><li><strong>Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud Computing and Open Source Spawn a New Flock of Innovators</strong><br />Open Source has matured to the point that many companies are fully dependent on it. It has become an enabler for startups, allowing them to rapidly accelerate their time to market. At the PhoCusWright's November 2008 <em>Travel Innovation Summit</em>, demonstrator Home and Abroad explained that they would not have been able to bring their product to market if it had not been for Open Source.<br /></li><br /><li><strong>Suppliers (Finally!) Provide Personalized Shopping/Booking Tools</strong><br />Today, most OTAs look much the same: Where do you want to go? When? Air only or hotel and/or car? To provide convenience and value to the customer, future learning and shopping screens will adapt to the users' stated profiles, observed profiles and shopping style. Similarly, the content presented will be the most meaningful to the customer.<br /></li><br /><li><strong>Technologies Will Continue to Converge </strong><br />Ten years ago, television networks were distinct from the Internet. Video was limited to TV and you went to see a movie at the theater. Now you can make a phone call anywhere to anywhere in the world using your laptop. You can watch movies and TV and browse rich content on your mobile device. You can watch content from the Internet on your TV and wirelessly network your house for all manner of content.<br /></li><br /><li><strong>A Flood of New Mobile Travel and Location-Based Applications Come to Market</strong><br />Mobile usage in travel applications has languished for years with a poor technology capability and an even worse business model. The mobile platform finally has interactive capability that makes it the fully functioning "3rd screen" alongside the desktop and laptop. With the growth of 3G (broadband wireless) subscriptions and smartphone adoption, apps will embrace location and context in a new way, enhancing the travel experience.<br /></li><br /><li><strong>Advertising Technology Transforms Travel Distribution</strong><br />Pure play booking fee models will become dinosaurs as blended models involving highly targeted ads, referral fees and fees for service establish peaceful coexistence. The technology convergence discussed in Trend 5 will enable the convergence of business models.<br /></li><br /><li><strong>Still Searching…for Better Search</strong><br />Last year the trends were "Semantic Technology and the Semantic Web will drive the next wave of Internet technology" and "Search will evolve to become more effective." These are still true. Lack of adoption of the formal semantic Web does not mean that search is not getting better. There are several instances where semantics are being used to improve search. As they begin to show differentiated business value over normal search, they will gain traction.<br /></li><br /><li><strong>Democratization of Supply Levels the Playing Field</strong><br />In the beginning when the airlines created travel distribution, the GDSs (they were called CRSs then) controlled the distribution of travel content. This created an oligopoly. But times are changing. The implementation of standards for interconnection, the transparency of the Internet, Web services and mashups, new search tools and SaaS models have all contributed to the development of an open marketplace for travel distribution.<br /></li><br /><li><strong>Business Intelligence and Analytics Move to the Forefront</strong><br />In tight times, you need to squeeze as much as possible from your existing operations and capabilities. This involves understanding what your competitors are doing, how efficient and effective your own operations are and what your customers are saying.</li></ol>Source: <a href="http://www.phocuswright.com/library/fyi/604">Phocuswright</a><br /><br />The complete article, is available for purchase at <a href="http://www.phocuswright.com/research_publications_buy_a_report/594">www.phocuswright.com/report/09techtrend</a>Razvan Militaruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03605359494419388617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711401098082592241.post-31281647810936697082009-03-17T13:24:00.000-07:002009-03-19T14:06:39.185-07:00Amadeus Ideas - the innovation website dedicated to the travel industry<p class="style4" style="margin-top: 5px; text-align: left;"> <a href="http://ideas.amadeus.com/tomcat/cocoon/ideas.html"><span class="amadeusideas">Amadeus Ideas</span></a> website showcases several innovative applications under development which are not yet ready to be released.<br /></p><p class="style4" style="margin-top: 5px; text-align: left;">Currently there are four applications opened for beta testing (for your own personal, non-commercial use): <a href="http://ideas.amadeus.com/tomcat/cocoon/appli.html?d=applis&a=mtw.xml&c=abstract">Mobile Travel Wallet</a> (MTW), <a href="http://ideas.amadeus.com/tomcat/cocoon/appli.html?d=applis&a=tw.xml&c=abstract">Widget Travel Wallet (WTW)</a>, <a href="http://ideas.amadeus.com/tomcat/cocoon/appli.html?d=applis&a=ltw.xml&c=abstract">Light Travel Wallet</a> (LTW), <a href="http://ideas.amadeus.com/tomcat/cocoon/appli.html?d=applis&a=ltw.xml&c=abstract">Wallaby</a>.<br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">The first three applications (MTW, WTW and LTW) have the same goal but they can be used in different environments (mobile and desktop applications). Currently, the applications handle your trip information including the most recent updates (delay, rebookings) for:</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span>your flight</span> </li><li>your flight status</li><li> <span>your hotel</span> </li><li> <span>your rental car</span> </li><li> <span>weather forecast at the location of your trip;</span> </li><li> <span>a map of the location of your trip.</span></li></ul><div style="text-align: left;">Book your trip now with an Amadeus travel agent and then check your latest travel status directly from your mobile phone or desktop.<br /><br />If you own a Blackberry or a Java enabled phone don't miss your chance to download <a href="http://ideas.amadeus.com/tomcat/cocoon/appli.html?d=applis&a=mtw.xml&c=Download">Mobile Travel Wallet</a> and try it for yourself (MTW is a multi-language application and includes also a Romanian version). Of course, the IPhone users are not forgotten and the IPhone version (Light Travel Wallet) can be found <a href="http://ideas.amadeus.com/tomcat/cocoon/appli.html?d=applis&a=ltw.xml&c=iphone">here </a>.<br /><br />Once you have installed these applications on your mobile device you can use them anytime you travel by entering your last name and the <em>Amadeus Reservation Number</em> of your trip into application. Your trip information will be saved on your mobile to be reviewed in offline mode at a later time (no connection cost) but, in any moment, you will be able to connect to Amadeus service to update the travel information.<br /><br /><a href="http://ideas.amadeus.com/tomcat/cocoon/appli.html?d=applis&a=tw.xml&c=Installation">Widget Travel Wallet</a> is the desktop application to install on your PC or Macintosh to display your trip information. It is also integrated with Google Desktop and iGoogle.<br /><br />If you enjoyed Amadeus applications or interested to propose new improvements please leave your mark <a href="http://ideas.amadeus.com/tomcat/cocoon/feedback.html">here.</a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Note:</span> All the above prototypes are still under development and they might be discontinued without early notice and might have some errors.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><a href="http://ideas.amadeus.com/tomcat/cocoon/feedback.html"></a><p class="style4" style="margin-top: 5px;"><br /></p><p class="style4" style="margin-top: 5px;"><br /></p>Razvan Militaruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03605359494419388617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711401098082592241.post-56826969853119239992009-02-10T12:40:00.000-08:002009-02-10T12:55:36.643-08:00Monitor your electricity consumptionRemember the ad "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXfnLPlhuS0">Petrom - resurse pentru viitor</a>"?... Well, Andrei has got a chance now and its name is <a href="http://www.google.org/powermeter/index.html">Google Power Meter</a>.<br /><br />According to Google, PowerMeter is a tool which will show consumers their electricity consumption in near real-time in a secure iGoogle Gadget. The purpose is to help everyone save money and combat global warming by reducing the electricity consumption.<br /><br />For now, Google PowerMeter is a closed beta program but you can find out further information <a href="http://www.google.org/powermeter/faqs.html">here</a>.Razvan Militaruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03605359494419388617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711401098082592241.post-64096039461712860902009-01-14T12:30:00.000-08:002009-01-15T10:54:08.711-08:00Search for going out by moodLast month I discovered <a href="http://www.ifeellondon.com/">Ifeellondon</a>, a nice website with a catchy idea. <a href="http://www.ifeellondon.com/">Ifeellondon</a> suggets different places for going out in London (restaurants, clubs and activities) based on your mood, all mashed-up in Google Maps.<br /><br />Do you feel broke? Try this... <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8zxLfBvGOMNplfpZuaMGaIR4uYGq9rPWs1mG8W66qV0CvX5KfAtwX42n8QXb36OswzdrbLkQR8IbH_l_pfuTt0h4y3MIq9pFHvD1plhmWryRj_fQauXskeQpRLnGmEJrh8IBIIdFSCD8e/s1600-h/broke.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291276763096925570" style="WIDTH: 46px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 25px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8zxLfBvGOMNplfpZuaMGaIR4uYGq9rPWs1mG8W66qV0CvX5KfAtwX42n8QXb36OswzdrbLkQR8IbH_l_pfuTt0h4y3MIq9pFHvD1plhmWryRj_fQauXskeQpRLnGmEJrh8IBIIdFSCD8e/s200/broke.jpg" border="0" /></a> Naughty?....then you should definitely try this...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiAH_9I16AWeVLFYFc2lKoLlIxhywfp6ednCjsY64OWTaSJh1rUJ7wpDBemk8S1GkfKthqrcT7qGcQkxzuW83gruKxhTALtye4o9Q6uVgkzfV9vVywZRisyhdnFrdWjY-pwYl_GdgRg3V-/s1600-h/naughty.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291275771442942866" style="WIDTH: 45px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 25px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiAH_9I16AWeVLFYFc2lKoLlIxhywfp6ednCjsY64OWTaSJh1rUJ7wpDBemk8S1GkfKthqrcT7qGcQkxzuW83gruKxhTALtye4o9Q6uVgkzfV9vVywZRisyhdnFrdWjY-pwYl_GdgRg3V-/s200/naughty.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Apart from London, there are <a href="http://www.ifeelnyc.com/">New York</a> and <a href="http://www.ifeeltoronto.com/"><span style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline">Toronto</span></a> ready for your moods (perhaps other major cities will follow soon). As you probably imagined you can also mark your favorite places on the map and share other people's moods.<br /><br />I believe <a href="http://www.ifeellondon.com/">Ifeellondon</a> is just the beginning of a new type of search which will open the boundaries of new web experiences. I find the idea very useful for the travel websites, especially the ones specialized in destination management.<br /><p class="paragraph_style"><br /></p>Razvan Militaruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03605359494419388617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711401098082592241.post-18879181114024416182008-11-17T23:00:00.000-08:002008-12-16T13:29:30.225-08:00New flight results display launched in Amadeus Agency Internet Engine (e-Power)<p>Amadeus has recently launched the new layout of the flight results in the e-Power Internet Booking Engine. The new feature is in beta-testing on <a href="http://www.paravion.ro/">Paravion</a> website and more customers will follow soon.</p> <p>It’s a fact that consumers will always want a simple and quick tool to help them find the proper travel services. This enhancement will allow the users to narrow the search results through intuitive filters and pick-up the right flight recommendation from the list.</p> <p>The new display includes:</p> <p><strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Combined filters</span></strong></p> <p>- number of stops;</p> <p>- multiple airline-selection tool;</p> <p>- outbound / inbound airports;</p> <p>- outbound / return departure times filters;</p> <p>- price range sliding bar.</p><div class="mceTemp"> <dl class="wp-caption alignleft"><dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://rmilitaru.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/flight-filters12.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-212" src="http://rmilitaru.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/flight-filters12.jpg?w=39&h=96" alt="flight-filters" width="39" height="96" /></a></dt></dl> </div> <p> All the filters are very fast as they are updating on the client side without refreshing the page.</p> <p>Even the user is scrolling vertically through the flight recommendations, the results filter box is always kept at the eyes level in order to ease the filtering of the various options.</p><p> <strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Fare matrix view</span></strong> </p><p>- displays a nice summary table showing fares by number of stops and airline</p> <p>- one can also sort the results by Price, Duration and Outbound departure time</p> <p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><strong></strong></span> <a href="http://rmilitaru.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/fare-matrix-view6.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-213" src="http://rmilitaru.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/fare-matrix-view6.jpg?w=127&h=56" alt="fare-matrix-view" width="127" height="56" /></a></p> <p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><strong>Quick search form</strong></span></p> <p>It allows the user to change the current flight search directly from the results page without going back to the detailed search form.</p> <p>Additionally, the quick search form is keeping the previous search data.</p> <p><a href="http://rmilitaru.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/quick-search-form10.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-214" src="http://rmilitaru.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/quick-search-form10.jpg?w=33&h=96" alt="quick-search-form" width="33" height="96" /></a></p> <div class="mceTemp"><strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">One fare to many flights display</span></strong></div> <p>The previous version of the flight search results was quite limited having in view that the user was not able to select a specific flight schedule for the lowest price. All the flight recommendations were offered as such, starting from the lowest fare.</p> <p><a href="http://rmilitaru.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/search-results13.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-215" src="http://rmilitaru.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/search-results13.jpg?w=161&h=119" alt="search-results" width="161" height="119" /></a></p> <p>The new layout is grouping several flight schedules for the same fare thus offering the user the possibility to select the right flight times.</p>Razvan Militaruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03605359494419388617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711401098082592241.post-38068349796152004062008-10-31T01:47:00.000-07:002008-12-16T13:30:54.500-08:00Expedia to run Google Sponsored Links<div class="entry"> <div class="snap_preview"><p><a href="http://www.google.co.uk/">Google</a> and <a href="http://www.expedia.co.uk/">Expedia</a> have entered into a partnership where the online travel agency will display Google’s Sponsored Links on some of its international domains (UK and Italy according to <a href="http://www.travolution.co.uk/articles/2008/10/24/1848/expedia-breaks-ranks-and-signs-media-deal-with-google.html">Travolution</a>).</p> <p>This is a surprising move for a big OLTA which usually keeps the website traffic within its own pages (booking, fulfillment, etc.). But this is not Expedia’s first action in this area. Coming back last year, in Nov2007, Expedia has signed a deal with InterContinental Hotels Group and introduced a media-based pricing model which combined transaction pricing with clicks on specific IHG properties within expedia.com.</p> <p>The real fact with OLTAs is that a significant slice of the users are using the OLTA website to search for the services and then choose to book directly with the supplier. This was one of the reasons for the Expedia - IHG agreement. According to Paul Brown, president, Expedia North America and Expedia Partner Services Group, “Expedia brings partners two sources of value in terms of transactions and exposure like a media company does. We display those hotels billions of times a year but that does not always turns into transactions on our sites.” (via <a href="http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1124155.php">Travelmole</a>).</p> <p>According to a <a href="http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=2261">Comcore</a> study, the supplier websites account for 72 percent of online hotel spend as of first quarter 2008, a 3-percentage increase from the previous year. Hotel market share through online travel agency sites (e.g. Expedia and Orbitz) is now 28 percent, 3-percentage points down from a year ago.</p> <p>The media model in online travel has been first introduced by <a href="http://www.kayak.com/">meta-search</a> companies which redirect the audience to the direct travel suppliers. Their main revenues are generated by the referrals sent to the suppliers and the use of sponsored links.</p> <p>Interesting to see if other big OLTAs will follow Expedia’s step in the near future.</p> </div> </div>Razvan Militaruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03605359494419388617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711401098082592241.post-32729651774217248862008-10-29T00:45:00.000-07:002008-12-16T13:15:26.627-08:00Kall Out - A new way to search using only your mouseRecently I discovered a new application for web search which just makes your life easier. <p>The Kall Out service allows you to search the Web without minimizing the screen and going to the Web by highliting in any web page the term your’re interested in and clicking the small icon which brings the search menu right to your face.</p> <p>Kall Out is able to search by Reference (Wikipedia, Thesaurus, Google Translate, etc.), Shopping (Amazon. Craiglist, etc.), News (Google News, New York TImes, etc.), Images (Flickr, Google Images), Video (YouTube), People (Facebook, Linkedin) and more.</p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAe8WTsd4QJSPHshKRBkv7qTYdrDx80R5f5Yk_fwIaKrqprAd41WqNQ4TfLyxtqif4J5vg9z1js9ymOEdMqFoxDQ60nDZwt-V5ryyaWv85XYhLcpq0PuI0J_48O-reKgDx34UTk8Z0zHN/s1600-h/search-menu1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAe8WTsd4QJSPHshKRBkv7qTYdrDx80R5f5Yk_fwIaKrqprAd41WqNQ4TfLyxtqif4J5vg9z1js9ymOEdMqFoxDQ60nDZwt-V5ryyaWv85XYhLcpq0PuI0J_48O-reKgDx34UTk8Z0zHN/s320/search-menu1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280498073518961122" border="0" /></a></p><p>Most of the search results are displayed within a floating information palette inside the browser (IE and FF) while still letting you work online. Seeing your results in context, instead of opening a new window, avoids the disruption of constantly switching between applications. According to Kall Out’s website selection-based search allows you to get results up to 10-times faster than traditional browser-based search.</p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiMy88FToAwYjY1VvwkXvLeTBgFzahEcbebHk2VMvhyIGBGdnqt58opvHfFQU-aL-0Xe9M7X8_sAKftL4hVIeLDmbx9urS-gyLxalEjdIcyLaA35oGDwffSAli46NYH4uWJdgdAb52aBZz/s1600-h/you-tube1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiMy88FToAwYjY1VvwkXvLeTBgFzahEcbebHk2VMvhyIGBGdnqt58opvHfFQU-aL-0Xe9M7X8_sAKftL4hVIeLDmbx9urS-gyLxalEjdIcyLaA35oGDwffSAli46NYH4uWJdgdAb52aBZz/s320/you-tube1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280498619979347586" border="0" /></a></p><p>Kall Out does not stop here. It even brings the web search in your Office documents. Kall Out works with most of the MS Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point) and PDF documents.</p> <p>Kall Out has also a customizable feature for the context menu (”My Kall Outs”) which allows the users to set their own websites where to search. For instance, I set IgoUgo website as My Kall Out in order to directly search for any future travel reviews I might be interested in whenever I surf the web. The bad thing with “My Kall Outs” is that the search results are opened in a new browser window instead of the discrete window. </p> <p>Kall Out is a very useful tool in web searching I definitely recommend it to everyone.<br /></p>Razvan Militaruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03605359494419388617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711401098082592241.post-80214024514075005372008-09-24T16:30:00.000-07:002008-12-16T13:06:29.061-08:00Online Travel Myths Unmasked at PhoCusWright Analyst Forum<div style="font-family: arial;" class="snap_preview"><p>PhoCusWright has unmasked 6 online travel myths at its first-ever <em>Analyst Forum</em>, held September 10 in New York City.</p> <p>Here they are:</p> <p><strong>Myth #1: The number of online travel buyers in the U.S. is declining.</strong></p> <p>In fact, that number is on the rise, as documented in the recently published <a title="http://cl.exct.net/?ju=fe381572746c027c761570&ls=fdf5157671610c7e73107276&m=fefb10737d6401&l=fe9b15717364067577&s=fe1f157974630474701379&jb=ffcf14&t=" href="http://cl.exct.net/?ju=fe381572746c027c761570&ls=fdf5157671610c7e73107276&m=fefb10737d6401&l=fe9b15717364067577&s=fe1f157974630474701379&jb=ffcf14&t="><em>The PhoCusWright Consumer Travel Trends Tenth Edition</em></a>. In 2007, approximately 70% of online travelers (that is, adults who have taken a commercial air trip and stayed at a hotel for leisure in the past year, and used the Internet in the past 30 days) bought travel online, compared to 63% in 2006.</p> <p><strong>Myth #2: More and more online travel shoppers use supplier sites than online travel agencies.</strong> While this belief is widespread in the travel industry, it is simply untrue, according to PhoCusWright, the travel industry research firm. In terms of popularity, online travel agencies are making a comeback (source: <em>The PhoCusWright Consumer Travel Trends Survey Tenth Edition</em> or “<em>CTTS10</em>“).</p> <p><strong>Myth #3: Travel agencies are experiencing a resurgence as travelers return to traditional purchasing channels.</strong> Not so. In reality, even many formerly exclusive offline buyers are migrating online for travel shopping and buying, according to <em>CTTS10</em>.</p> <p><strong>Myth #4: The next generation of travelers prefers to do everything online.</strong> The truth is, less than half of what 18-28 year olds spend on travel is spent online, according to <a title="http://cl.exct.net/?ju=fe371572746c027c761571&ls=fdf5157671610c7e73107276&m=fefb10737d6401&l=fe9b15717364067577&s=fe1f157974630474701379&jb=ffcf14&t=" href="http://cl.exct.net/?ju=fe371572746c027c761571&ls=fdf5157671610c7e73107276&m=fefb10737d6401&l=fe9b15717364067577&s=fe1f157974630474701379&jb=ffcf14&t="><em>The NEXTgen Traveler™</em></a> report, jointly published by PhoCusWright and Ypartnership.</p> <p><strong>Myth #5: Social networks and travel reviews have the greatest influence on travel decision-making.</strong> <em>The NEXTgen Traveler™</em> report reveals that while social media is widespread, destination Web sites and online travel agencies are favored by nearly half of next generation travelers during the travel shopping process.</p> <p><strong>Myth #6: Online travel markets need high credit card and Internet penetration to succeed.</strong> The structure and ambitions of the travel marketplace are even more important drivers than infrastructure. Case in point is India, one of the most dynamic online travel marketplaces today, where roughly 98% of the population does not use credit cards or have access to the Internet.</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://www.phocuswright.com/library/fyi/538" target="_blank">Phocuswright</a></p> </div>Razvan Militaruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03605359494419388617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711401098082592241.post-12219120728264023792008-09-19T23:34:00.000-07:002008-12-16T13:03:19.643-08:00Holiday Extras, viral travel adHoliday extras (an airport car-parking provider in UK) comes with a viral ad explaining the downturns of booking your holiday airport parking with a less-than-reputable company.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TbzJPcpqdXE&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TbzJPcpqdXE&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Kevin May, Travolution also <a href="http://travolution.blogspot.com/2008/09/holiday-extras-first-viral-ad-not.html" mce_href="http://travolution.blogspot.com/2008/09/holiday-extras-first-viral-ad-not.html">wrote</a> about it.Razvan Militaruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03605359494419388617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711401098082592241.post-37283896469547175752008-09-15T14:51:00.000-07:002008-12-16T12:51:32.643-08:00Ryanair publishes its list of the screen-scrapping websites - conclusion? everybody loves screen-scrapping!<div class="snap_preview"><p>Ryanair has recently published the <a href="http://www.ryanair.com/site/notices/docs/Screenscrape_EU_response.pdf" target="_blank">list</a> of their screen scrapping websites. The included document contains also the letter from Ryanair to the European Commission.</p> <p>Among the screen-scrappers, famous online travel websites: Priceline, Booking.com, Opodo.com, yahoo.co.uk, etc.</p> <p>Unsurprisingly, some of the<a href="http://news.skyscanner.net/articles/2008/08/000550-skyscanner-and-ryanair-the-cease-and-desist-situation-clarified.html" target="_blank"> meta search websites </a>who generated direct traffic to ryanair.com were also included in the list but they were allowed to do screen-scrapping. These websites are generating sales leads to Ryanair but allow the booking fulfilment on Ryanair’s website.</p> </div>Razvan Militaruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03605359494419388617noreply@blogger.com0