O2 customers will become some of the first mobile users to be able to both search and book travel deals direct from their handsets, in a landmark deal signed between the Handy Group and the operator. The service will initially be made available to users of O2’s i-mode service and will allow them to search…
Handy Group and 02 sign travel deals
O2 customers will become some of the first mobile users to be able to both search and book travel deals direct from their handsets, in a landmark deal signed between the Handy Group and the operator.
The service will initially be made available to users of O2’s i-mode service and will allow them to search for Avro flights, Somewhere2Stay package deals and hotels at UK’s airports.
In what is believed to be a major step for mobile e-commerce, users will then be able to make a purchase direct from the handset with their credit card, rather than being put through to a call centre or via a call-back option.
The system will remember the user’s profile for further transactions but credit-card details have to be entered each time.
The Handy Group has plans to add theatre tickets, ferry operators and taxis to the package.
Handy Group chief executive Michael Lacy said: “Handy Traveller is unique in that it has all the capabilities of an online service – but on a phone. It looks great and is fun to use anytime, anyplace.
“To date this has been the problem with using the web by mobile; the product and aesthetic has simply not met customer expectation.”
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