Opodo has launched what the online travel company terms as Europe´s first (8/6/2007)
According to Opodo, the objective is to guide last minute or undecided bookers to see a selection of flight choices and prices on a world map, combined with easy point and click booking options.
EscapeMap (escapemap.opodo.co.uk) will be found at the top of the home page - near the travel guides. By clicking on it, a world map page will opened together with a number of booking preferences, including travel time frame, price range, destination and type of location. Once selections have been made, tabs will show across the map complete with flight dates, carrier and price. This tool significantly reduces the number of searches a customer needs to make, according to the company.
Currently EscapeMap is being launched with a flight only option, but already Opodo sees the long term applications.
On the timing of the launch, Chee Ho Wan, Head of Search, Opodo UK said it´s perfect timing and referred to peak-holiday time "as that´s when most people are looking to make last minute bookings."
"However, we see this working across several of our product ranges. We are launching hotels later this year and other possibilities include city breaks, car hire and package holidays," said Ho Wan. "Our aim at Opodo is to make booking travel simple, easy and as much fun as possible. EscapeMap style products are a key part of our future."
