[thelist] [Survey for paper] Airline websites

[Daniel Fascia]

Hi guys...

just doing a little research here about airline sites and
the whole e-ticketing system. I personally find they are
clunky and quite badly designed.

An interesting fact is that the industry seems to have
decided on a set layout (because familiarity is good?!)
and every site adheres to it. I think it may also be to do
with the fact one database powers the whole lot...

I am looking to create a different booking system with
some evidence based approach...

I refer you all to a few sites (and please add your own)
and would love to know what your problems and user
experiences are with them:

www.lufthansa.com
www.swiss.com
www.klm.com
www.airfrance.com
www.easyjet.com
www.bmibaby.com
www.airnet.co.uk

A few gripes I already have...

1) Strong reliance on Client side scripting/DHTML
2) Poor browser support apart from IE5+
3) Poor contingency/recovery plans from failed booking
4) Absolutely NO attention to accessibility
5) Long waiting times during database search
6) Poor customisation for frequent users...