CASE STUDY ONLINE BOOKINGS Most travel and airline companies have become increasingly digitized over the last decades. Online travel industry websites sell travel products such as flights, accommodation, packages and rental cars and some of them also allow travellers to post reviews of their experience. Using the web to discover new destinations, plan, or review trips represents an essential part of the online travel market. According to a recent survey by a leading provider of market and consumer data , searching online has become a more popular source of information and inspiration than talking to friends and family. In countries like Taiwan, South Korea, and India over 60 percent of surveyed travellers declared to search inspiration online for their holidays. When looking at the type of travel services booked on the Internet, hotels top the list of the most popular travel products followed by transport tickets (air and train) and car rentals. Customer’s point of view: advantages of online booking systems : companies are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, information and reservations are always available. Time : customers are usually asked for a prepayment through a credit or debit card so payments are easy and quick. Payment : reservations can be easily enhanced by adding extra services. Organisation : bookings can be managed through any mobile device. Management : no paper is used. Sustainability : clients have access to a wide range of information that can easily be compared. Options : best deals are advertised and prices can be compared. Prices Safety In Europe, according to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), booking websites must be provided with a Privacy Policy informing customers about how personal data are managed and who is responsible for them; they must also grant appropriate technical protection against unauthorised, unlawful or accidental access to personal data. EasyJet: pioneer company in the field of online booking In 1997, two years after the company’s foundation, one of easyJet’s managers suggested the opening of a website for direct air ticket bookings, but the president’s reply was: However, the following year the Board of Directors , aware of the potential of the net, decided to launch the company’s official booking website. It was the first such website for a low-cost carrier in Europe and soon proved to be a great success: the percentage of online reservations jumped to 98% in four years only. “The Internet is for nerds, it will never make money for my business!” GLOSSARY : : : : : : : : : Board of Directors consiglio di amministrazione datum (pl. data) dato deal affare to enhance migliorare leading principale source fonte survey sondaggio to top essere il primo unlawful illegale