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(c) Elliott Publishing.

Internet Travel
Kirby's Korner · August 4, 2000

There is more than one new way to sell travel on the Internet.

The day before this column is posted, the Wall Street Journal reported that six airlines have teamed to launch a Web site sometime this year that will sell cheap tickets to people who don't care about the time they leave, the airline they fly, the route the plane takes, or the number of stopovers. (More on this as it develops.)

The Journal compared the venture to Priceline.com, whose stock price promptly closed down 8 percent. But that only shows the power of the Journal. The venture sounds much more like the "White Label" fares available on 1travel.com, which I've written about and which, unlike Priceline, don't require travelers to "name their own price."

This new venture is different from Orbitz, which will have discounted fares but will also provide complete information about the flights chosen. Many airlines are involved in both Web sites, though.

Another option involves so-called "upside down" retail Web sites. At these sites, travelers and other buyers post descriptions of what they want to purchase, and sellers respond with an offer.

(After the "upside down" column appeared, agents who had tried selling through the sites quickly told me the sites don't work, and I reported some of their comments -- along with general reactions from buyers, who where curious but nervous about using the sites -- in two later columns (here and here).)

The airlines' latest venture also is different from iDerive, which rewards people for taking a chance that their travel plans won't be satisfied. This is another Web site aimed at the lowest common denominator.

Once we get outside the idea of cheap travel, however, the Internet still offers unique ways of seeking suggestions and bringing buyers and sellers together. A couple of companies are coming online that give some idea of how, in a world distrustful of completely online operations, we might combine the advantages of human touch with the efficiencies -- and worldwide reach -- of the Web.

One Web site, 12degrees.com, is operational now. The other, eGulliver, won't be open to the public for several months, though it is soliciting travel agents who want to participate.

EGulliver positions itself as supportive of travel agents and, just this week, received an endorsement from the American Society of Travel Agents. At the site, agents list specialties, experience, and fees they charge. Once travelers can start using the site, they'll choose the agent they want to work with and outline their travel plans.

EGulliver will put the parties together, initially through an e-mail system with plans for live chat and, eventually, broadband. Agents don't have to respond to requests they get, and travelers will be able to rate their agents once the trip is over.

The 12degrees site works differently, although its advantage, too, centers on travel expertise. At that site, travelers can use online resources to plan a trip, but they also can choose specific travel consultants to advise them. They pay the consultants for the advice, and they can book the trip through the Web site.

Both sites have a history. EGulliver is headed by Deslie Webb, who was chief information officer at mega-agency Carlson Wagonlit Travel during early parts of its plan to combine brick-and-mortar travel agency locations with Internet-based tools. Korobra was the original name of 12degrees, which started out with the idea of giving travelers a platform for creating travel plans they could funnel to travel agents through the Internet.

Neither eGulliver or 12degrees is aimed at people who need only get from here to there -- they're targeting travelers with complex itineraries. Both are designed to marry a human face with the array of travel information already available on the Web.

Like the discounted-fare airline Web site, they expand opportunities for Internet-connected travelers.

David Kirby is the editor of Interactive Travel Report. His column appears on Friday. You can reach him at david@ticked.com.