Jetstars' continuing IT nightmare

[Eastwest Loco]

OK sportsfans - what the hell does Jetstar have to do to clean up their booking engine?

I think it was about 18 months ago I flagged to our PPRuNe masses that their booking engine sucked.

There were alleged upgrades anmd procedural changes but guess what?

It still sucks like a JT8D. At least that delivered a delicious sound.

Emailed client itineraries are still taking over 24 hours plus to arrive and yes you can print out the screen displayed itinerary but it is very difficult to email.

I can get an emailed itinerary from Adria Air (Slovenia) within 30 seconds but even JQ's telephone staff in Manila or whatever inappropriate location for an ostensibly Australian operation advise that it could be up to 24 hours before your email arrives.

I am stufified with WHY? Tiny little Airlines can get it right. Sure JQ is a much bigger carrier, but should they no have a bigger set of servers to process the traffic or did they get a job lot of OEM NWOT Commodore 64s and wire them in series for their servers?

Not good enough dudes.

DJ have had their problems but all is steaming now and itineraries arrive under a minute without fail.

the reason for posting this here is that a lot of good and true airmen and women are puntiing A320s and A330s around the skies with the supplementary duck backing you up with the engine that delivers you the punters that pay you.

It aint good enough.

Lose the corporate passengers because the corporate Travel Agents will defer to the similar price on the Red Devil or push QF mainline and you have a problem.

Just a heads up guys and girls.

Something is seriously suffering from IT Delhi belly.

Best all

EWL

[Jabawocky]

Emailed client itineraries are still taking over 24 hours plus to arrive and yes you can print out the screen displayed itinerary but it is very difficult to email.

EWL

Here is an idea that might help you, although not fixing JQ's website.

Download PDFCreator from the web, or PM me with your email address and I will send it to you. Installs just like a printer, and when you print you select the PDF creator instead of your paper and ink printer and save the PDF as you choose and email away!

J:ok:

[Gas Bags]

In the same vein as Jabas post,

You can copy and paste the screen displayed itinerary onto a word doc and save that.

Easy to print or email.

GB

[limelight]

I think trying to get round J*s problems is not the way to go. They use the same base booking engine as DJ, but obviously are paying less for their service, hence the delay. (you get what you pay for!)

EWL, just book them on a service that works for you. Nothing like the sound of customers walking away to spur them into action!

[Eastwest Loco]

Thanks for all your input and emails folks.

I am well aware of the workarounds that are not idyllic and do not produce a pretty product for the punter but it is effective to a degree.

The point is that many punters do not have the IT savvy to figure their way around the problem.

It just shouldn't be there. If I can get an itinerary inside 30 seconds from Adria Air out of Ljubljana why can't I get one out of Jetstar without a standard warning of a possible 24 hour delay?

Just this afternoon I actually had one arrive within 5 minutes. Nearly fell off my seat!! That is a rarity.

The booking itself did have 4 dropouts and total restarts though.

Time the JQ dudes threw out their servers and bit the bullet and upscaled capability by a minimum of 1000%. SLF will be spitting the dummy in their thousands and marching over to DJ - or -shock horror - discovering that QF mainline is often the same price or less over a give route and will actually feed and water you!!!

I just wanted to make good people working for JQ to be aware that their prime selling tool is a Mercedes that won't turn left. If nobody knows it's broke, it ain't gonna get fixed.

Best all

EWL

[KittyKatKaper]

Silly me decided to book a flight on J*.

After a lot of swearing and cursing and restarts due to the slow response I eventually managed to make a *#($ booking.
Unfortunately because of the slow response and restarts and popups and adverts, I 'anticipated' what options I had to click and did so whilst the pages were still loading, which meant that I ended-up buying crap that I didn't want.

I really hate Web 2.0 bloat and crap. (and don't get me started on 'flash-based' content)
Why the crap should the main landing page take .5Mb before it actually displays something, and then another .5Mb every time you click on something.
Yeah yeah yeah, it's fine if you're on a massive Gb plan on a physical connection, but it's really slow and expensive on any form of mobile service.

And yes, I was somewhat surprised that it would take 24 hours to get an emailed itinery., have never had delays of that extent with other carriers (dom and intl) that I've used.

[Eastwest Loco]

Warning :p BLATANT SELF PROMOTION ALERT :p

Use a Travel Professional. We don't cost a lot and are kind to puppy dogs.

I understand your angst and that was the purpose of post.

It is bloody near impossible to have an enjoyable experience using most airline websites but Jetstars makes you realise why Germany invaded Poland. They probably supplied Hitler annoying technology of the day at one time.

That and the greenhouse crap that goes to some fund for people floating around in cheesecloth smoking herbacious items. Where does that money go if you are silly enough to click on that? Does it go anywhere or does the Airline just absorb it? Nobody has made the "approved funds" public.

Nice little earner that.

Best all

EWL

[73to91]

"My five staff simply ensure services are delivered."

EWL - I think one of the problems may be the lack of internal staff who can help the customer. Gee, they only have 5 IT staff.

Ever tried to contact JQ's 'customer service' area? from what I have heard, it's near enough to impossible.

This is an interesting article re JQ's IT department, Jetstar: How to run IT with five staff - Strategy - Business - News - iTnews.com.au (http://www.itnews.com.au/News/174255,jetstar-how-to-run-it-with-five-staff.aspx)

What if JQ's check-in system failed the day after the GF just like Virgin's? Would the software vendor have had enough staff to address both customer's issues? If not, who would have been the priority?

[Pedota]

Looks like Google is about to get into this 'space' . . . my bold italics:

Google travel search revolution a giant leap

Jane E. Fraser – The Age, October 19, 2010

Google's new technology may usher in a new era of online travel research.
Being your own travel agent via the internet is about to become easier through technology that will do more of the trawling for you.

STAND by for a new era of online travel research, where you can get options, prices, images and other key information with one quick search.
Google is experimenting with technology that will allow it to provide much richer search results, eliminating the need for consumers to trawl through multiple sources or cross-reference information from several sites.

Travellers will, for example, be able to look at a map and see actual prices for hotels in a given area (along with images and information on facilities and nearby attractions), with the ability to click through to make a reservation via a third-party booking site.

There will also be a new landscape for flight bookings if US regulators approve Google's purchase of software firm ITA, which specialises in the organisation of flight data.

Google is reluctant to comment on the potential of the software until the regulatory review is complete but industry commentators say the $US700 million ($725 million) purchase would change the face of flight searches. The technology would act as a "meta-search" engine, scouring the internet for the best deals and presenting the data in a way that is easier for consumers to view and compare.

Commentators say it would take on existing meta-search sites such as Kayak and Skyscanner, which search across multiple websites for fares and other travel deals.

Google has categorically stated it is not getting into the business of selling travel (doing so would jeopardise its advertising revenue) but is aiming to dramatically improve the search experience, which it believes is far from ideal.

Consumers currently need to go through several different sites to find detailed information and pricing but the ITA software would allow for much richer information at the initial search stage.

"ITA offers a lot of technology that we don't currently have and a lot of expertise in the travel sector," says the head of the travel group for Google Australia, Nikolai Pitchforth.

Pitchforth says travel-related searches in Australia are up 20 per cent and 80 per cent of these searches are for very specific queries. Whereas someone might once have searched for "Sydney hotels", they might now be looking for "boutique Sydney hotels with a swimming pool".

Consumers have become more demanding of travel suppliers and expect niche rather than mass audience information. Pitchforth says one of the biggest trends over the past year has been a four-fold increase in the use of mobile internet and applications, through smartphones and devices such as iPads.

"It's something that has been talked about in the travel arena for some time but recently we've really seen it take off," Pitchforth says. Many travel companies have created mobile versions of their websites and Webjet recently launched a full iPhone application for domestic flight bookings.
The Australian market can also expect to see much greater use of video content, map content and social media. "I think we'll see more and more travel companies trying to provide a richer source of content," Pitchforth says.

A study by market research firm TNS has found the majority of Australians are now confident making online bookings with established travel brands. One in two Australians say they book travel online because they believe it is cheaper, while nearly a third believe online travel information is more reliable than traditional off-line sources.

Only a quarter believe the service of online travel agencies is not as good as traditional travel agents, while less than 20 per cent believe online bookings are only for experienced travellers.

"Digital is for everyone these days," says the director of travel and leisure research at TNS, Carolyn Childs.

There has been much debate on the future of traditional travel agents in this environment.

Pitchforth says consumers once used the internet to supplement information from travel agents but this situation has reversed, with travel agents being used to supplement information found online.

Is the death knell sounding or will travel agents survive in a changed form?
Pitchforth says traditional agents are still very much in play for "non-routine" bookings.

"I think there might have been an assumption that people either use online sources or they use offline sources but we're seeing people using a multitude of sources, both online and offline," he says.

"I think it's more that the role of a travel agent will change, to become more of an adviser."

See Google's plans for travel search | Bookings, flights, holidays (http://www.theage.com.au/travel/traveller-tips/google-travel-search-revolution-a-giant-leap-20101007-169cv.html)

[B772]

Eastwest Loco.

You are comparing Adria Airways; a Star Alliance Member with an airline that I am reliabily informed is run by a complete idiot. If Virgin can get their act together with the A330 they will give Jetstar as well as QF a hell of a fright.

I have been told that the Virgin level of service across the Pacific leaves QF for dead. The new deal between Virgin and Etihad looks even more interesting.

[Eastwest Loco]

Interesting stuff Pedota.

Apart from the incorrect perception that "the web is cheaper" we find time and time again that web travel engines are very finite in how they scan and Airlines are not overly helpful to passengers who have booked in such a way.

We regularly get them in through the doors here trying to change the unchangeable. Rotsa ruck!!:ugh::ugh:

As for contacting JQ we do have an Agents help desk who when you finally get through are actually helpful. Wait time is however atrocious. They have "unstuffed" a few of my problems quickly and are friendly to deal with.

We live in interesting times!!

Best all

EWL

[Gas Bags]

Try this site for Australian domestic flights (Not good for international as it does not include all airlines).

Cheap Flights Australia - Qantas, Virgin Blue, Jetstar, Tiger Airways (http://iwantthatflight.com.au/)

It is not a new site and I am sure many of you have seen it before however I am surprised at the number of people who havn't.

If the lowest price is what you want you will find it here and you can book it as well.

GB

[PPRuNeUser0198]

A330 they will give Jetstar as well as QF a hell of a fright.

No they won't. DJ will fail in their push for premium pax - their offering will never compare to Qantas:

- lounges;
- schedule;
- frequency;
- network (globally and with One World);
- product; and
- FF program, flexibility and strength.

To name but a few. Qantas will price aggressively against DJ - they would not relinquish market share.

Qantas continues to invest in product and services - Next Gen check-in to name a few - as well as lounge upgrades etc.

DJ would need to invest billions to compete with QF for the premium market - they don't have that cash and I'd be confident, they could not raise it in the immediate future...

I have been told that the Virgin level of service across the Pacific leaves QF for dead

That might be so (subjective), however, that's not going to deliver returns to V and they're not making money on the Pacific, albeit either is any of the other airlines due to discounting and over-capacity- regardless of how good the service is - no return = unsustainable future on this market.

[Warm Ballast]

I've been trying to book a flight or two in the last few hours and the site is 'down for maintenance until 3AM'.....

[Eastwest Loco]

Gas Bags - again the engine that you mention is good but flawed as a proper GDS can pick up fare nuances that escape the web beast. So can a decent operator who can manipulate a GDS properly.

Also if you are connecting or coming off an international an Agent worth their salt can issue a ticket less the GST. That can be a significant saving.

Cn you imagine how much GST is being paid annually on LCCs thatshouldn't be? It would be billions.

The other thing to look out for is alleged E tickets that just have the ticket number appended to an itinerary and no fare construction.

Remember most of the "bucket shop" operations including the big ones pay a retainer and the rest of the salary is in commission share. I have printed evidence in my office of a $200.00 price gouge on one corporate client on a New Zealand return flight.

If your e ticket has no fare construction on it beware. You don't know what you are paying in fees. That applies to online as well.

T-Vasis

Next gen checkin is just another way to lose staff mate. A friend of mine is into and out of Perth for a shipping company and has been given one of the 1st NG cards. He hates it.

I do agree that QF will retain their corporate base even in economy with seat pitch, international baggage through check and full service all the way down the bird being a comfort level that few would want to step back from.

The big problem is the step away from GDS systems such as Sabre, Galileo, Amadeus, Worldspan etc as they are percieved as too expensive to participate in.

The downside to that is that the web engines are much less reliable. I can't recall the last time that Sabre fell over and I suspect others on rival networks would say the same.

DJ and JQ actually do exist in the Sabre system and I have recently sold LST MEL LHR on DJ connect MH and ticketed on MH plate and also OOL SYD LAX on JQ connect QF ticketed on QF plate. The QF one was interesting as it was the same fare basis code all the way which meant the QF fare and reissue rules apply.

The LCCs exist in the legacy systems. Maybe they should bite the bullet and make the web engine a public portal for a GDS base. It has to be more stable.

One shudders to think what amount of money DJ lost over the term of their meltdown.

EWL

[tichy]

Jetstar: How to run IT with five staff - Strategy - Business - News - iTnews.com.au (http://www.itnews.com.au/News/174255,jetstar-how-to-run-it-with-five-staff.aspx)

IBM did the checkin kiosk systems. Not like they delivered a crap system to anyone before.

Qld health IT disaster shakes up Australia's government CIOs - Victor De Silva, Queensland?s whole-of-Government SAP payroll system implementation, queensland health, payroll, Darren Stinson, Ann Steward, Andrew Mills - CIO (http://www.cio.com.au/article/355765/qld_health_it_disaster_shakes_up_australia_government_cios/)