Friday, March 5, 2010

Orbitz Re-Tunes the Flight Matrix

In the first significant change to the Orbitz flight results matrix in as long as we can remember, Orbitz has taken a less is more approach.

Traditionally, Orbitz has returned a myriad of flight options using the power of ITA to build numerous multi-carrier and multi-leg trips. While flights from New York to Boston via Buffalo may have been not only scenic but cheaper (and resulted in a few extra frequent-flyer miles) the results may have been overwhelming for some consumers.

Orbitz, at least in certain market/fare combinations, has now changed the display to initially reflect only nonstop pricing:

The result is a faster return of the most relevant flights. Messaging allows users to drill down deeper into additional flights should they care to explore other options:
Orbitz CEO Barney Harford commented via email that the new format was part of "a relentless focus on speed" for the site. He continued, "The rest of the site is also getting a lot faster, but it is not as immediately recognizable; this is a very visible example."

1 comment:

  1. Good catch, Tom. I guess minimalism is in on flight grids as well as homepage design, too.
    Headline: Comprehensiveness bows to speed.

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