Flight happiness rating system: Expedia, Wotif's Routehappy shows which flight is the happiest

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This was published 8 years ago

Flight happiness rating system: Expedia, Wotif's Routehappy shows which flight is the happiest

By Jamie Freed
Updated
Routehappy rates business class products based on the type of seat and whether it offers all passengers direct aisle access.

Routehappy rates business class products based on the type of seat and whether it offers all passengers direct aisle access.Credit: Paul Blackmore

By now, most Australians know that if they get on a Qantas flight from Sydney to Melbourne, it is likely to be a more premium experience than a flight on low-cost arm Jetstar, just as a Virgin Australia flight will include more frills than a flight at its budget arm, Tigerair Australia.

But would the same traveller, when flying from Paris to Prague on a European holiday, know whether it was better to fly with easyJet, Smart Wings, Air France or Czech Airlines, based on anything other than the small variances in price or the timetable? Doing so could easily require more than an hour of research.

Routehappy's unique "happiness factors" rating system, which was rolled out on Tuesday to the Australian websites of Expedia and Wotif, was designed to help the traveller save time.

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It shows that the Smart Wings flight, which includes a free checked bag, has a "very good" rating as opposed to the "satisfactory" easyJet flight, which does not include a bag, even though the price of the tickets differs by just $2. Furthermore, the Smart Wings flight costs nearly $200 less than the Air France and Czech Airlines flights, but carries a slightly higher rating than both of those as well.

Expedia senior vice president tour and transport Greg Schulze said by rolling out the Routehappy data, the online travel agent was leading the industry to benefit consumers and airlines alike.

"Flyers benefit from better information when they shop for flights, and airlines benefit from the ability to tell flyers about their product offerings and enhancements," he said.

Loose-fitting clothes and stretchy pants: That's they way Australians like it.

Loose-fitting clothes and stretchy pants: That's they way Australians like it.Credit: iStock

Routehappy founder and chief executive Robert Albert said the system was designed to help flyers make more conscious decisions based on product attributes. Eventually, travellers might be able to search a website like Expedia or Wotif to sort the flights by rating or individual amenities such as on-board Wi-Fi, rather than just by price.

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"I think flyers are starting to have to make decisions about what they really want," he said. "There is nothing wrong with buying [a ticket on low-cost carriers] Spirit or EasyJet or Ryanair or Tigerair. It is just that you want to know what you are getting. Then you could see that others give you 'free' stuff. And flyers should be able to know exactly what they are getting and understanding why [full-service carriers] are priced higher."

Full-service carriers, faced with competition from cheaper upstarts, are increasingly trying to market to customers on the basis of "value" rather than price.

Emirates president Tim Clark said last month: "Cheaper fares is not the answer to everything. It is the combination of value. We can give you things you like. Surprisingly a lot of people don't look for the best deal, they look for the brand, the quality of the airline. They are willing to pay a bit more."

Beyond current clients Google Flights and Expedia, Mr Albert said the global distribution systems used by travel agents and airlines had also expressed interest in using the Routehappy data to give travel agents and consumers a better idea of the amenities on board each flight.

"It allows for the emergence of product competition," he said. "You have happy hour in Australia where you get free wine and beer. That is a perk. There is streaming entertainment on Virgin Australia and American Airlines. There are things that airlines are dreaming up and installing. They are turning it into something that is more differentiated product-wise. Airlines [like Qantas] will compete on the PJs."

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