Southwest Airlines Home Gate
As is the case with most commercial sites, their basic page is an image map.
Flight information/transactions are available via image map.
However, Southwest is still constructing their eMail service. Not having
an eMail service in place (a basic Inet feature) makes me wonder about the
reliability of their on-line transaction services which are more difficult
to implement.
We'll keep an eye on this site and see if it improves. One nice feature
was their image map , it was a small bit-size (bandwidth) and loaded fast.
Qantas Airways
So far, the Qantas Web Site has been the most responsive to our requests.
We received a response to our eMail the next day which indicates to us that
their site is adequately staffed.
They are compiling a list of services for us regarding the transport of
Afghan Hounds. We'll see how quickly they respond to on-line info requests!
American Airlines
American Airline offers many services through their Web Site.
It's almost staggering. Their image maps were high bandwidth and took the
longest to download. We are still waiting for a response to our eMail so
they seem to be unprepared for items outside their standard CGIs.
Off hand it seems that they are heavy on programmed features and short on
staffing.
United Airlines
The United Airlines site is a basic site without the range of services offered
by American Airlines. They did have eMail as well as image maps so their
site is a step ahead of Southwest. We are still waiting for a response to our
eMail for information.
SOAPBOX: Maybe I'm just picky but the purpose of Web sites is to provide timely information not just automated processes. When I encounter a company that depends exclusively on automated transactions (programs) it makes me wonder about the quality of service that they will provide when problems arise.
So, based on intangible factors this week we rate the airline Inet sites for
service as follows:
1. Qantas - pending receipt of information
2. American Airlines - still waiting a response for info; but good depth of packaged services
3. United Airlines - still waiting for a response for info; limited services
4. Southwest Airlines - priority on automated transactions; limited services