As director of TWA's e-commerce, John Gunby has been closely involved in all aspects of redesigning and adding information to the new TWA.com. Here are some of his observations about the new website and how it is one more tangible reminder of TWA's philosophy that customer service is its number one priority.
Q: TWA has had a website for five years. What guided TWA's approach to its new site?
A: We have three objectives for our new site: ease of use, convenience and customer service. The new TWA.com now makes it easier to book a ticket in fewer clicks than the old site and provides the convenience of new features such as offering car rentals, hotel reservations and the ability to choose your seat from an interactive seat map.
Q: Why does the new TWA site include the ability to book hotel reservations, car rentals and tickets on other airlines?
A: We wanted our new site to be a one-stop shopping experience for our customers' travel needs. Instead of just selling TWA tickets, we wanted to give our customers the opportunity to add a car rental and hotel reservation, making it an easy, convenient way of booking a trip. We also realize that sometimes our customers need to fly a certain route not serviced by TWA, at a specific time that may be better served by another airline or at a lower price available by flying indirect. In these cases we now offer our customers the opportunity to book a seat on another airline at the same published price offered by booking with that airline directly. It's part of our focus on customer service.
Q: Is it easy to book tickets online? Are there any "tricks" to using TWA's new booking engine?
A: TWA's new booking engine makes purchasing tickets online a breeze. You can find the booking engine in two areas of the new TWA.com. Firstly, a quick search facility is prominently placed on the home page under "Search for a Flight" and is a simple and easy way to search and book flights Secondly, we have placed our more detailed booking engine in our reservations section found in the main navigation bar on the left of the home page. To use the booking engine, all you need to do is search for the flights that best suit you. Then if you decide to book, you will be asked for your user name and your password, which is exclusively yours. A booking is only complete when you have given your credit card details and have confirmed that this is the flight, car and hotel you wish to book.
Q: What are the advantages of booking online?
A: In a nutshell, booking online is easier and more convenient than any other method of purchasing tickets. You can book a flight in your own home or at the office in a matter of minutes. If you Want to change your travel plans, the same rules apply to purchasing your ticket online as making reservations on the telephone. Your confirmation and itinerary will be sent to you via e-mail and can be printed for your convenience. We even offer access to our exclusive special fares on TWA.com called Dot Com Deals [SM] that are available every Tuesday and the Dot Com Deals [SM] Plus that are available at other times. To ensure you don't miss out on the Dot Com Deals, we e-mail these to subscribers each week. All we need is your e-mail address.
Q: Has TWA planned anything special to introduce the new TWA.com to its customers?
A: On August 28 TWA.com will feature a broadcast using streaming video with TWA President and CEO Bill Compton speaking about the new TWA.com. For a three-month period, the site also has a tour of the booking process using flash animation, which has been produced by Yahoo! Broadcast. We are also celebrating our new website and our 75th anniversary with a contest giving away a free pair of round-trip tickets to any domestic TWA destination each day. All you have to do is go to TWA.com and guess which TWA destination is featured in the photo. We select a winner each day from all entries. No booking is necessary to enter and you can play once a day for 75 days.
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