Delta beats EasyJet as first airline to offer booking engine within Facebook

August 12, 2010 By 5 Comments

US carrier Delta has secured bragging rights as the first airline to fully integrate a search AND booking engine into a Facebook page.

Airlines had until this week only managed to place flight search facilities into fan pages, with the user being re-directed to the carrier’s main and external website to obtain results and make bookings.

It was thought European low-cost carrier EasyJet would be the first to cross the finish line with a fully functioning booking system, having talked up the idea a number of times in recent months and paying plenty of attention to the flight search element of its fan page.

But Delta has beaten its European counterpart to it, announcing the launch of its own system just days after overhauling the homepage of its website.

Known as Ticket Window [needs application approval], users can select different search criteria and then view results from within the application, including route options, aircraft type, times and inclusive prices.

delta FB2

Once a fare is selected the user can enter the usual passenger and payment details and the booking is complete.

delta FB1

Delta says the strategy behind the move is to offer a booking mechanism within one of the most popular sites used by its passengers. The airline currently has around 33,000 fans on Facebook, a mere fraction of the 500 million registered profiles on the social network.

Although the functionality is reasonably limited, at least when comparing to other tools available on the existing Delta website, search and booking is on a similar level to the user experience on a mobile due to the limited module size and existing parameters of Facebook.

It does appear that the core functionality behind the search and booking widget is also being geared up for use elsewhere – Delta says the same tools will soon be made available on banner ads it uses as part of its online ad creative, similar to those seen on affiliate networks.

The Delta system was developed by Minneapolis-based software firm Alvenda.

Related posts:

  1. EasyJet taking social media seriously as Facebook booking engine comes a step closer
  2. EasyJet tantalising close with Facebook bookings, but still not there
  3. TripAdvisor uses Facebook to create Trip Friends personalised tips engine
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Kevin May About Kevin May

Kevin May is editor of Tnooz. He joined as a co-founder in August 2009 after spending nearly four years as editor of UK-based business publication Travolution.

Passionate about the business of travel and the internet, Kevin played a major role in establishing Travolution in print, online, events and with an annual awards programme, as well as becoming a regular speaker and moderator at industry events.

Prior to Travolution, Kevin was web editor at Media Week (UK) and also worked in regional newspapers for two years at the Essex Enquirer. He started his career in journalism at the Police Gazette at New Scotland Yard in London.

Comments

  1. Michael dalesandro says:
    August 14, 2010 at 2:06 am

    It’s a great start bringing e-com into Facebook. I can see this being paired with friends travel and deal offerings.

    Reply

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  1. Tweets that mention Delta beats EasyJet as first airline to offer booking engine within Facebook | Tnooz -- Topsy.com says:
    August 12, 2010 at 3:42 pm

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Dennis Schaal, IE Travel, Tnooz, Turisdata, James Craven and others. James Craven said: RT @denschaal: Delta beats EasyJet as first airline to offer booking engine within Facebook http://bit.ly/cKiXA8 – First mover advantage? [...]

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    August 18, 2010 at 5:49 pm

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