Expedia May Soon Show You Pictures Next Time You Book a Flight

Online travel search giant Expedia is launching exciting new features that will allow displaying more details, including photos and videos, when searching for a flight.

Routehappy already provided Expedia with the ability to see if a flight has Wi-Fi, if there’s in-flight entertainment and if you’ll be able to plug your electronics into a power outlet.

Expedia is expanding this partnership, which will integrate the company’s Universal Product Attributes (UPA) and Universal Ticket Attributes (UTAs) into Expedia plus its other websites, Orbitz and Travelocity.

For those who don’t speak online travel agency (OTA) jargon, a UPA holds data like photos and videos of an aircraft’s cabin and seats, while a UTA contains information regarding an airline’s fare class including its restrictions and benefits — so you’ll know if you’re buying a basic economy fare, for example.

For consumers this means Expedia’s search features will include more information at first sight. It also could lead to a similar experience to that of booking a hotel through an OTA — meaning you can see pictures of a property’s room, lobby and pool. It’s possible we’ll see pictures of an airline’s cabin or seat.

A senior director at Expedia, David Krieger, told APEX that the new changes “might include photos, videos, and at-a-glance views of what’s included in the fare.” Krieger added that Expedia plans “to roll out this enhanced capability across our brands in the near future.”

This move could help Expedia differentiate itself from Google Flights, which the company has seen increased competition from. Google Flights does not have any photo or video integration on its platform, and usually you have to click through to an airline’s website or another OTA to book a ticket.

from The Points Guy