"they know that their business is based around repeat customers who all know how to work the system."
Hmm, so they're intentionally crappifying their experience to make their existing customers feel 007-esque? To make them feel that they're somehow hacking into the site, digging deep, to find good deals? Why not just lay the good deals out on the table? What's there to hide? If they really are good deals, wouldn't it seem logical for them to make 'working the system' a relative breeze for anyone looking to score a free trip? And you can't possibly believe that this type of attitude is going to lead AA to a long and prosperous future. It's about an experience. You start with a great online experience, then that seamlessly integrates with your in-airport experience, and that leads to new customers. And I'm willing to bet that any business on the planet that provides an easy and quick service to their customers will have a higher rate of repeat customer use than a business that caters to a customer base by providing a stupidly complex experience, ultimately capping their customer acquisition rate.
Look at Apple. You want to see a Genius at the Genius Bar? Go online, make an appointment in less than 1 minute, go to the store, and see your name up on the screen with a Genius ready to help you. You see how that works? My computer illiterate parents could book a Genius Bar appointment. Why shouldn't they be able to do the same with AA?
Good points- working the system here means that they are able to know what the offers are and so on - not just be able to drive the site but know when to talk to someone, etc.
I agree that user experience is fundamental, it's just the hyperbole of Dustin that made me cringe :)
Hmm, so they're intentionally crappifying their experience to make their existing customers feel 007-esque? To make them feel that they're somehow hacking into the site, digging deep, to find good deals? Why not just lay the good deals out on the table? What's there to hide? If they really are good deals, wouldn't it seem logical for them to make 'working the system' a relative breeze for anyone looking to score a free trip? And you can't possibly believe that this type of attitude is going to lead AA to a long and prosperous future. It's about an experience. You start with a great online experience, then that seamlessly integrates with your in-airport experience, and that leads to new customers. And I'm willing to bet that any business on the planet that provides an easy and quick service to their customers will have a higher rate of repeat customer use than a business that caters to a customer base by providing a stupidly complex experience, ultimately capping their customer acquisition rate.
Look at Apple. You want to see a Genius at the Genius Bar? Go online, make an appointment in less than 1 minute, go to the store, and see your name up on the screen with a Genius ready to help you. You see how that works? My computer illiterate parents could book a Genius Bar appointment. Why shouldn't they be able to do the same with AA?