Posts Tagged ‘web service’
umbrella today: simplicity is beauty
Wednesday, October 1st, 2008
I recently came across a website which is simply beautiful. One of those ideas where all the fluff was stripped away to deliver a perfectly functional and readily acceptable web service. The site is Umbrella Today (even the domain is simple!). This product of the clever guys over at thoughtbot tells you whether you need an umbrella or not based on your zip code.
Now for the icing on the cake: you enter your mobile number and it will text in the morning before you leave your house to let you know whether or not you should bring an umbrella with you for the day!
Innovation at its simplest!
checked-in luggage swap
Monday, September 8th, 2008
Ever since airlines started charging extra for the second checked in bag, customers have been doing everything they can to pack in all their goods into their carry-on. i have noticed that many customers are also using duffel bags and large hand bags to bring on
Extra items to avoid this new costs. on the last three flights i have been on, i have either had a tough time finding a space for my carry-on or the stewardess has had to check in the bag before lift off. to make matters even worse, airlines like united and american have started charging a fee for the first bag as well.
So whats a customer to do? well here’s a thought. how bout starting a secondary marketplace for luggage. lets say you fly an airline like jetblue, delta, airtran, etc which still allow for one free checked-in bag. suppose you don’t have anything to check-in or you prefer to carry on, why not let customers sell that space to another customer for a small fee (like 5 dollars). customers could post their extra space on a web site that matches sellers with buyers!
Airlines could also win back some trust from customers by rewarding customers who pack light (carry-on) by giving them a free meal, upgrade their seat or give them a luggage credit for another trip.
create your own flight
Wednesday, July 9th, 2008
With fuel costs soaring and airlines raising their prices higher and higher, Airline tickets services such as Kayak.com and Farecast.com become ever so important in our lives. I have been an avid user of both sites as I have weaned myself off of traditional search sites like Orbitz and Travelocity. The new web 2.0 services allow more robust features as fare prediction, customizable flight trackers, time of year suggestions, and the list goes on and on.
Recently, I have been searching for one way tickets to save money on my round trip flight. So basically it’s a cumbersome process to find one leg of the flight and then re-enter new parameters for the return flight. Orbitz sometimes pairs flights on multiple airlines but in no way comes close to the cheapest flights.
Idea: I would like Kayak or Farecast to develop a “Create your own flight” option. User would enter in the dates and select round trip flight using one way tickets. You could ultimately add multiple legs and really customize a trip while being as cost efficient as possible. It’s also nice to view all the times and suggestions in one screen versus jotting it down and figuring it out yourself. Farecast has great user tools that would allow for alerts, suggestions and hotels as well…..
