Online Time Travel

Running a business website on 20th-century software is a flight of fancy. I went online to book a ticket with Laos Airlines. Some will tell you that was my first mistake, although other online reviews insisted reassuringly that the Laos Air safety record is “not as bad as people say.” They really ought to paint that on the side of their planes.

Running a business website on 20th-century software is a flight of fancy.

I went online to book a ticket with Laos Airlines. Some will tell you that was my first mistake, although other online reviews insisted reassuringly that the Laos Air safety record is “not as bad as people say.” They really ought to paint that on the side of their planes.

This was not a desperate attempt to get a cheaper fare to Calgary. I was travelling from Bangkok to Luang Prabang, and in that situation one’s airline options are as few as flying from Vancouver to Winnipeg. You basically have two choices: the somewhat more expensive Bangkok Air, or Not As Bad As People Say Airlines.

At the Laos Airlines website I attempted to select February 2012 on the booking calendar. I clicked a few arrows resulting in some perplexing activity and finally a date grid that did not seem to fit. I checked the month and discovered the problem. The calendar was displaying February 1936. It was impressive, in a way. Who would create an online booking calendar that gave you options for 1936? But it was also disturbing to encounter an airline website running on Windows PreWar 1.0 – and even more disquieting to think that they bought their software when they bought their planes.

More trouble was coming. The site told me no seats were available, either in February 1936 or February 2012. I tried several dates without success. Apparently Luang Prabang was a hotter destination than I had realized. I sent an email to customer service and received a pleasant reply assuring me that seats were indeed available and that I should try again. I did. No luck.

Online retailing has reshaped many an industry (destroying a few in the process) and empowered consumers to an unprecedented degree. But those websites had better work because a software glitch can be as devastating to your business as the old hazard of the employee who alienates your clientele with a combination of sullen demeanour and post-nasal drip. Your state-of-the-art website could be driving away business while you sleep.

Major U.S. retailers experienced an avalanche of customer complaints last fall when the all-important Black Friday sales overloaded systems and led thousands to place in their shopping carts Xboxes that were, in fact, no longer there – a problem that bricks-and-mortar shoppers rarely have if they remember to take their meds.

Lower Mainland web development companies like Jammicron and Bricks to Clicks offer retailers online retailing systems and ways to avoid consumer alienation, but one thing such companies cannot provide is the ultimate solution to customer dissatisfaction: a lack of options. That, ultimately, is the killer advantage possessed by western Canadian airlines. If you’re not happy with Air Canada, you can try WestJet. And if you’re still not happy, you can hitchhike. And that is also the safety net for Laos Airlines. There just aren’t that many choices for the would-be Luang Prabang tourist. So I kept at it. As it turned out, the fourth time was the charm. I was allowed to book a seat.

There were a few nervous people on the airport bus when we pulled up at our ride to Laos, an ATR-72 twin-engine turboprop. Passengers board at the rear. The manufacturer cautions that if a tail stand is not put in place, the plane’s nose can tilt up during boarding, which could result in sudden and unexpected intimacy with a flight attendant or drink cart.

But nothing of the sort happened. Although I paid particular attention to the safety demo, the flight was trouble-free. And Luang Prabang is a very lovely spot. In fact, being there can be rather like going back in time.