Easyjet continues its march to becoming a full service carrier and seems to be following the JetBlue model for LCC-to-hybrid-to-full service.

At the present time the only things missing from its arsenal are a frequent flyer program, unique GDS content and interlining. Everything else is already there.

A few weeks ago, Easyjet told to the trade via a note through the Galileo system that it would offer a new Flexible Fares Product bundle.

This bundle will include speedy boarding and one checked bag. Not too dissimilar to that other ex-low cost champion, Southwest Airlines.

Indeed Southwest has two business level fares and the top of the line is its Business Select product, which is what many business users are already adopting and has given Southwest a kick in yield.

According to the note from Galileo the full announcement has yet to be made, although the system will be available from 7 September 2010.

And Galileo appears to be the only GDS where such enchancements are being touted at the moment. However, we can expect that they will continue to roll this out to other channels.

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.

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

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.

Airbus made a big deal at the recent Farnborough show as it presented concepts of a plane in 40 years time. So here’s a thought. Why not implement some of it now…

More than three years ago Easyjet’s then-CEO Andy Harrison argued for a plane that could be in production in ten years.

It looks not unlike the designs that Airbus is proposing.

Boeing abandoned its Sonic Cruiser for the safe solution of the 787, with a corresponding lesser set of advances, particularly in areas of green technology.

The result: a plane of modest economic advances and ecological value. Boeing’s customers argued that a less speedy more fuel efficient solution would sell better.

Translation: head towards a less advanced solution so we don’t have to change too much.

Will Airbus do the same thing and deliver us another modest increase? Sadly I think they will opt for the safe one when it replaces the A320.

Airbus has an opportunity for a home run by developing a next generation aircraft with much greater savings and much better value for the environment, as well as passenger comfort.

With the C-Series offering a significant economy and ecological proposition over current generation A319 and 737-700s, the big two should be pushing the envelope.

What Airbus seems to forget is that in 40 years time there will still be one heck of a lot of A320 and 737 NGs around.

The concept of planning for a plane in production in 40 years says that the plane will need to fly and be in volume production in the next 25 years.

We can expect lead times for new aircraft to lengthen considerably just like military aircraft have done with the F23/F35 generation of planes.

Just look at how long it takes to get a new military aircraft into production (think V22 for example).

The same is true for civil aircraft. Boeing promised an in-service date of 2009, that has passed to 2011 by the latest reports.

One thing Airbus did make clear is that one of the biggest stumbling blocks is the airport. And this is where more and better technologies could be deployed.

Indeed the WSJ’s Middle Seat Column last week covers some very simple solutions that have made some significant inroads into a perennial problem at one of the world’s busiest airports, New York’s JFK.

Interestingly, Airbus has a survey asking if people think that Airbus is an innovative company or not.

In the Airbus future document, the final paragraph says:

“Air travel, Airbus and the aerospace industry has an exciting future ahead of it. Unlocking this future will require new levels of inspiration, innovation and investment.

“Above all it will require a shared vision of the future, so that the next 40 years sees everybody working together towards a better, more connected and more sustainable world for all.”

C’mon Airbus – go for it… Let’s see something truly innovative right now for the A320 family. If you do,  Boeing will follow. Then all of humanity can benefit.

Visitors to the Catalan version of Easyjet.com over the past few months may have noticed something slightly different about the airline’s website.

The low cost carrier has switched some of the functionality around on its homepage to give more exposure to the deals, offers and other channels it offers.

Existing site:

Catalan version:

Cosmetically the site has some changes being tested, as well as the core search tools taking a different position elsewhere on the homepage.

An official says the changes have been tested for “several  months” on the Catalan site only, primarily because of lower traffic volumes.

Interestingly the pilot appears not have fuelled any wider and immediate changes to the rest of the EasyJet system, with an official confirming the test was isolated to the Catalan version and alterations based on it are not expected elsewhere.

One area to note is that the design work on the Catalan site almost mirror that belonging to new search modules being used on the EasyJet Facebook page.

Low cost carrier EasyJet appears to be taking yet another step forward with its stated aim to allow full bookings on its Facebook page.

In May 2010 the airline said its existing holiday planner function on the site would probably be the best place to plug in a search and booking facility.

This strategy appears to have changed tact slightly in recent weeks with a full flight search system integrated within its main Facebook page and on a dedicated tab alongside the holiday planner and wall.

At the moment the once the basic information is submitted the module sends a user to a pre-populated page on the main EasyJet site, but this could be modified to plug in the necessary web technology to run a full booking system on the site.

Other, smaller travel ecommerce players have started integrating booking facilities on Facebook but EasyJet would be one of the largest companies so far to do so.

NB: EasyJet has yet to return calls with further questions.

David Parfect of Facebook says the platform will allow the integration of third party services such as booking engines, but the network itself has no input from a development perspective.

“Companies can build an application that allows them to essentially merge their booking engine within a ‘Facebook experience’ but this is something that Facebook does not get involved with.”

EasyJet has a sizeable following on its Facebook page, attracting 31,000 fans and regularly holding competitions and other forms of engagement with customers.

NB: EasyJet has yet to return calls with further questions.

British Airways has maintained its position as the easiest to use airline website in the UK but low cost carriers have dramatically improved in the past 12 months.

The annual survey by user experience agency Webcredible sees the troubled airline stay at the number one spot with Virgin Atlantic giving away second place this year to EasyJet.

Ryanair has also jumped to eighth position in 2010 after languishing in bottom place in 2009.

Overall the airline sector has improved usability over the past year, according to the study, with the top 20 websites seeing an average score of 64%, up from 55% in 2009.

Webcredible says:

“Despite these overall improvements, 11 websites scored percentages  in the 60’s and four websites scored between 40-50 per cent, demonstrating that many companies are still not doing enough to maximise their share of the potential revenue in this highly contested marketplace.

“The report highlighted that key guidelines that still need improving include supporting comparison shoppers, making pages ‘share friendly’, providing airport information, displaying clear progress bars and providing contact numbers during the booking process.”

The study also included a number of online travel agency websites, such as Opodo, Lastminute.com and Netflights.com.

Each website was evaluated against 20 best practice guidelines and assigned a score of 0-5 for each guideline, with 5 being the maximum.  With 20 guidelines in total, websites were assigned a total Web Usability Index rating out of 100.

The overall ranking for each website:

1. British Airways – 78% (2009 71%)
2. EasyJet – 77% (50%)
3. Virgin Atlantic – 75% (70%)
4. TravelRepublic – 73% (-)
5. BMI – 70% (65%)
6. Expedia – 68% (70%)
7. Travelocity – 68% (70%)
8. Ryanair – 66% (41%)
9. Ebookers – 65% (56%)
10. Opodo – 64% (62%)
11. Travelbag – 63% (54%)
12. FlyBe – 63% (53%)
13. Monarch – 63% (47%)
14. NetFlights – 62% (56%)
15. Lastminute.com – 62% (59%)
16. Jet2.com – 60% (49%)
17. STA Travel – 56% (58%)
18. First Choice – 56% (50%
19. ThomsonFly – 52% (51%)
20. Thomas Cook – 47% (47%)

NB: The full report can be downloaded from the Webcredible website.

Intriguing reports in the UK this weekend suggesting EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou is planning a new online travel agency.

The idea to create a rival to Expedia and Travelocity-owned Lastminute.com in Europe is said to be dependent on whether Stelios (as he universally known) can end a long running row with EasyJet management over the airline’s strategy.

Stelio owns almost 40% of the airline and is calling on its board of directors to “stop spending money on new aircraft” and please shareholders with a dividend.

If the two parties fail to resolve their disagreement over a range of issues (another involves the airline’s ancillary revenue policy) then Stelios is said to be keen to take the EasyJet name from the airline (which he licences for £1 a year) and create an OTA.

Stelios’s enthusiasm for developing such a business will come having already seen the creation of EasyJetHolidays (a dynamic packaging service using EasyJet flights and TUI-owned Hotelopia accommodation) and, no doubt, witnessing the rapid rise of newer OTAs such as Priceline’s Booking.com brand in Europe.

Stelios will not be the first high profile industry figure to get a twinkle in the eye when thinking about joining the world of the OTAs in Europe – Thomas Cook is heading that way, too.

The tour operator is well advanced with plans to create its own agency having initially brought in ex-Expedia Europe president Simon Breakwell to act as a stealthy consultant before going public in early-2010.

Thomas Cook has yet to reveal how it will take on such a task (Anaylsis: How will Thomas Cook become a top European online travel agency?) but the project is being overseen by chief executive for Thomas Cook’s East and West Europe division, Thomas Doering.

NB: EasyJet has yet to respond to media calls.

European low cost carrier EasyJet claims it is the first airline in the world to install on-board technology to help pilots detect the presence of volcanic ash in the air.

The move follows the chaos caused in Europe in April 2010 when dangerous ash from an Icelandic volcano crippled the European air network for almost a week as aircraft were grounded across the continent.

The technology, known as Airborne Volcanic Object Identifier and Detector (AVOID), was developed by the Norwegian Institute for Air Research and will be fitted to an Airbus 340 test aircraft within the next two months ahead of wider deployment across the fleet.

The system works in the same way as existing aircraft weather radars, allowing pilot to see ash particles up to 100km ahead and at altitudes between 5,000 and 50,000 feet.

Air space monitors on the ground will also be able to understand the movement of particles in affected areas and coordinate with traffic controllers to re-route aircraft.

The Civil Aviation Authority in the UK, one of the organisations which came in for fierce criticism during the protracted lockdown of air space in April, has welcomed the move by Easyjet, urging airlines to work together to develop methods of minimising disruption.

EasyJet says the ash debacle in April cost it around £50 million to £75 million.

Will EasyJet be the first low cost carrier to offer full booking facilities on a major social network? It appears so after confirmation that it is considering such a facility for Facebook.

The European carrier has had some success using Twitter for customer service (through @easyjetcare) and has the obligatory Facebook fan page, but is looking at developing a fully functioning search and booking engine for social networks.

Such a service may not be too difficult to put together in terms of placement and overall social media strategy as EasyJet says the most likely method will be by plugging in a search and booking system into its existing Holiday Planner app, a function attached to its current fan page.

The Holiday Planner tool allows users to select destinations, dates, view flight deals and invite Facebook friends to join the itinerary for a particular trip.

Any flight search and booking at the moment is carried out back on the main EasyJet website which users get to by following a link.

EasyJet has no further details and says it is a function on the table, although the fact that it is speaking about it for the first time means planning must be reasonably advanced.

The mechanics of putting a fully functioning engine into the Facebook API may be more difficult than first appears.

EasyJet currently has a simple search widget on its homepage, but the results and subsequent confirmation, insurance, luggage and passenger detail pages are often Ajax-driven and use a lot of design real estate.

Nevertheless, EasyJet’s now stated intention to take social media seriously as a booking mechanism as well as customer relationship tool is in stark contrast to bitter rival Ryanair.

Last week the Dublin-based carrier dismissed suggestions it was to start engaging in social media (after angrily dismissing it for years), opting instead for a section its site to allow customers to review destinations and hotels.

Low-cost carrier Ryanair has put a halt to suggestions it will start reaching out to customers through social media.

The airline has had a love-hate (but mostly hate) relationship with the concept of social media for years but expectations were raised earlier this week when it announced it is adding reviews to its website.

It was initially thought that Ryanair would also be making tentative forays into social media through the usual networking sites – a suggestion since dismissed emphatically.

What is expected to happen in the coming months is the launch of a series of destination pages hosted on the main Ryanair website where users can post reviews of restaurants, bars and hotels.

Ryanair’s often outspoken director of communications Stephen McNamara says:

“This will be one way communication – passenger reviews of local hot spots etc, but [we] will not be ‘engaged’ in social media.”

Ryanair has steadfastly refused to be drawn into the online social bubble with its marketing, unlike its European rival EasyJet (which has the @easyjetcare handle for customer relations) or US counterparts such as SouthWest.

Allowing almost every piece of customer criticism in the social channels to go unanswered, Ryanair has only once dropped its veil when it infamously told this author that bloggers were “lunatics” – an outburst which was picked up by news organisations around the world.

The interest comes as Ryanair also confirms it is considering some kind of “price comparison” website – a confusing concept for a single carrier to implement unless it is significantly looking to change its web proposition.

McNamara says the idea is only in the planning stage and refuses to give any indication what such a site would be used for or its model.