NEW YORK -- British Airways launched an on-line booking system
on its Web site.
Currently, only fares on BA's World Offers are bookable, but
there are plans to extend the service to other products later in
the year, said BA electronic distribution manager Eaman
Semmankie.
The site uses a system called Smart Globe, which enables users
with Windows '95 and Netscape or Internet Explorer Version 3
technology to look at any BA destination, which appears as a point
on a globe.
Users can highlight any dot to see the destination and the
return fare.
The screen also shows a calendar that displays available dates
for travel. If the date is shaded in green, the fare is available,
if it is shaded gray, it is not.
Other users key in the number of passengers, departure point and
date to view a choice of destinations and prices.
Users also can key in their budget limit, and the site can
suggest suitable destinations.
Semmankie said booking on the system was safer than a person
giving their credit card details on the telephone.
"Thirty percent of the project time was spent making sure that
security over the Internet was better than our telephone sales
security," he said.
Only users who have browsers with encryption capability will be
allowed to book on line. The address is
http://www.british-airways.com.