BA.com ups the ante

BA and Microsoft have been working on a joint online initiative which they unveiled at last weeks Travolution conference.  This strong offering will strike fear in the hearts of many online travel agents.

Technology barriers have been removed and the power rests with those who own the relationship with the customer. Online Agents struggle to extend their brand reach as they have little opportunity to touch the client with physical product.

In Africa the major airlines have guaranteed involvement in the holiday with international travellers requiring flights from limited suppliers. Should they create an enticing online offering it will create a very powerful force in the market.

If the major airlines into Cape Town and Johannesburg are able to extend their product offering through compelling online experience and services, they could start to eat into the lucrative destination based revenue of hotels, tours, safari’s and car hire.

BA’s new product dubbed the ‘Inspire Me’ tool aims to move away from destination based product search to providing a rich media experience and informational tool. The new tool, coupled with BA’s soon to be released dynamic packing system, is likely to combine to significantly raise the bar and put further pressure on the intermediaries.