Over the next few weeks, we plan to start interviewing some of the key movers and shakers who inspire us to travel. And we’re not just talking about tired old airline hacks like Ryanair’s motormouth Michael O’Leary, who we’ve already done to death, we want to talk to the musicians, architects and politicians who put destination cities on the map. And we might have a few words with the odd sportsperson or two, if they’ll talk to us.
I know who is top of my list - ok, he is a rich bigwig if that’s not too much of a giveaway, but we’d like to hear from our users who they’d like us to speak to. Anyone who has an influence on transport and the tourism industry is fair game, and they don’t just have to be UK based, our expense accounts like to give MP’s a good run for their money!
I thought I’d drop a quick note about articles we’ve got in production, and give any readers an opportunity to add their comments and suggestions before they go live:
- Hidden charges - we know how much you hate them. So we’ll be doing a full A-Z of charges, and breaking it down airline by airline.
- Airport architecture - low cost airlines might claim to hate ‘marble palaces’, but we’re sure that passengers prefer them to portakabins. We’ll take a look at some of the most impressive airports around the world - including major hubs and low cost airports.
- Travel tips - I think this is a theme that could run forever, but we’re always keen to hear yours.
- Site updates.
- Alternative airports - we know that Hahn isn’t really anywhere near Frankfurt, but how good is your Geography? If the winning university challenge team stumbled to work out if Frankfurt was north or south of Cologne, how much should we expect from our site users? We’ll take a look at airports which might get you where you want to go much quicker (or cheaper) than the airport which serves the city you are trying to get to. Some are in different countries - or in one case, on another continent.
- Detailed city pair guides. We’ve picked some top destinations and provided in-depth commentary about how to get there from various airports around the UK. For example, if you are looking for flights from Edinburgh to Philadelphia, we suggest taking direct flights from Glasgow instead. Alternatively, if you are travelling from Bristol, you will often be routed via New York, and then by train down to Philly.
This list will expand over the next few days, and we’ve also got a few hidden surprises coming up, so please stay tuned.
Yesterday (Monday 18th June) was a record day for Flightmapping.com, in terms of visitor numbers. In total, 9977 people visited the site, leaving us an “unlucky 13″ short of the big 10k.
If we include the 47 visitors to our new (but fast growing, of course) blog, then the total pips just over 10,000 for the first time.
Naturally, we still want to see Flightmapping.com reach this in its own right, and you can rest assured that we will let you know when it does. In the meantime, next time we come close like this, I think it will be time for an internet cafe crawl around Coventry.
That might have brought us to 9979 - ok, maybe not such a good idea then. Cheers!
Flightmapping’s MD James Avery will be on BBC Radio CWR, in Annie Othen’s travel slot, from around 11:40pm tomorrow (Tuesday 19th June).
Topics set for discussion include:
As always, James promised to be on fighting form, so tune in for some interesting discussion.
Please use this thread to give us any feedback regarding our route information, or any of the text on the Flightmapping.com site:
Known issues:
- The routes database is usually updated at least once each week, although it has not been amended this week (ending 17th June). This should be refreshed on Monday 18th June.
Please use this thread to give us any technical feedback, especially with regards to page loading, search facilities, etc.
Sometimes, these issues are beyond our control, but if we can fix them, we will.
Current known technical issues:
- Thomsonfly search facility for flights from Coventry, Bournemouth & Doncaster does not always carry the search query through. We are working with Thomsonfly to resolve this.
- The flight search facility will sometimes take you to a blank page, if the route is only operated by one airline. We will be working with our developers on this next week.
If you have a question to ask about your flight, we’ll do our best to answer it.
Anything along the lines of - what can I take on board, can I use this device, what is this airport like for connections, etc.
If we can’t answer it, I’m sure we’ll find someone who can.
Here at Flightmapping.com, we’ve never tried to pretend that environmental issues are easy to solve, or that we should just bury our heads in the sand.
But with all the hype which we are bombarded with every day, is there a chance for some more level headed discussion?
We certainly hope so, and if you think so true, please come and join the Envirorealists group on Facebook:
Antithesis of: Enviro-fundamentalism, eco-puritains, ecoterrorism, eco nazis, doom and gloom, environmental doomsday.
A few things we believe in (especially when it comes to travelling):
- We love this planet, but we’ve got to get around it somehow.
- We love buying nice things, but try and get as much use out of them as possible.
- We’re happy to do without some bits of useless technology - like GPS systems!
- We don’t think the world is going to implode tomorrow.
- We’ll do what we’re best at, respect our neighbours, and leave the complex science to the real experts.
- We don’t believe everything we see on Panorama.
- We know that Global Warming is a challenge - so is extreme poverty, sorting out the Middle East, controlling communicable diseases, and keeping the economy ticking over.
- We are aware that stress and depressive illnesses are two of the biggest challenges for western health systems. Sometimes it is nice to take a holiday to get away from our busy lifestyles, without feeling the guilt from the incessant bleatings of the green lobby.
- We just wish that organisations like Greenpeace would get their facts right for a change.
- We’d love to get hold of Tony Blair’s BA Executive Club card, and just wish he’d done something useful with all those trips he’s made.
- We don’t mind paying green taxes - if they go towards environmental projects.
- We’re fed up with all the hype against the aviation industry - especially when the recent doubling of APD has just has environmental groups salivating for more. How come domestic energy use, which is responsible for far greater emmissions, continues to get off Scott free?
- We’ll take the train, because it is a better use of our time.
I will be speaking at the Eye For Travel summit in London tomorrow. Below is my reply to some questions sent by the conference organisers.
1. What in your opinion have been the latest trends when it comes to affiliate marketers using search in an optimal manner?
I suppose the one basic trend is that affiliate marketers are often much better at SEO than merchants! This might sound arrogant, but it is simply a question of resource allocation. Most travel companies are in business to put bums on seats - but actually providing these services, or even providing booking technology, is not the same thing as creating relevant content and playing the never ending Google game.
With the constant cat and mouse race between white hat and black hat (ethical and allegedly unethical) SEO techniques, it is always going to be far easier for affiliates to take risks, than it is for large-scale corporate merchants. Ultimately, there will always be some merchants out there who view affiliate marketing as an unnecessary cost, but I certainly think that affiliates are a very good value proposition, and an excellent return on investment, compared to outsourcing search engine marketing activities, which can often be extremely risky.
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