| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 19/06/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 18 |
| Copyright: Other |
web site focus
This week: www.atol.org.uk
DescriptionWhen the Civil Aviation Authority launched its Web site in 1998 it included air travel organisers’ licence pages to provide basic information about the licensing system. The CAA soon recognised the need to brand
ATOL separately and registered the domain www.atol.org.uk to enable the trade, their advisors and the public to gain access. The CAA claims the site now averages 24,000 hits per month and expects this to increase.
Home page
The home page is quick to load and clearly tells the user what the site is about with the prominently displayed and distinctive CAA and ATOL logos.
We are also informed that this site offers advice on the ATOL licensing system and if we wish to check if a company has an ATOL we should link to the database site.
On reaching the ‘real’ home page of the information site a menu of 13 options is provided down the left hand margin, with the main page providing an introduction to the Web site and ATOL.
Searching for an ATOL holder
Linking to the database site, www.atoldata.org, enabled us to search for an ATOL holder by their number or name – note that part names are acceptable and both the licence holder and trading name can be used for a search. Having entered the name or number, hit the search button and the next page quickly appears to show the matching ATOL holder(s) – by licence holder and trading names.
Selecting the relevant ATOL holder presents a neat summary of the company with its address, ATOL number and trading names.
Requesting more information provides a table illustrating the authorised passengers broken down by quarter for the period of the licence holder’s current licence.
Clearly, travel trade users should understand what fully bonded, scheduled bonded, agency seat only etc, represent. Unfortunately there is no further explanation for the consumer at this point but we did find it in other information sections of the site.
The CAA has recognised that all this information needs to be up-to-date and while searching a statement highlights how current the details are – we found today’s date on all our searches. A disclaimer is also used: “The information contained in this database is intended to be accurate and provide comprehensive information, however, the CAA does not accept any responsibility for the consequences of errors or omissions.”
Value of information
Without a doubt, the site’s main benefit is to provide users with this ability to check for a company’s ATOL holder status.
However, the site does offer more information that is of interest and practical use to its visitors.
Most of the routine documents the CAA publishes are freely available on the site, including the ATOL business report, which can be downloaded as a .pdf file and provides vital statistics to the travel industry.
A consumer advice section provides helpful information on buying flights or air-based package tours in the UK, including the ATOL helpline, along with other useful telephone numbers for travel problems. Claim forms can also be accessed from the site’s bond claim section – allowing claimants to download forms to be completed and returned by post.
Users can also see a list of new ATOL applications which is updated on a weekly basis.
Ease of use
On the whole, the site is fairly easy to use and usually makes use of frames with a main navigation menu on the left hand side and the content in the main section.
However, the navigation menu options
do change when you enter different sections and it sometimes disappears, making the user somewhat reliant on the browser’s back button. We also found some missing pages.
As the site is targeting a broad range of visitors, from the consumer through to travel industry experts, it tries to use everyday English.
We felt that improvements could be made by targeting the content at the different user sectors, for example having clear sections for ATOL holders and the consumer.
Nice touches
The site tries hard to be interactive – always inviting feedback from visitors.
And the CAA is looking at further ways to utilise the site for the benefit of the ATOL holder, for example, simplifying administrative procedures with the ability to complete and submit electronic forms.
Would you come back?
Yes, we would. This is definitely a Web site that agents should bookmark among their favourites.
The site is extremely functional and does its job very well.
Did you know?Internet facts and figures
n As the Internet grows in size and bandwidth, computer technology has brought sound, video and animation to the Web via video streaming. Video streaming is the simultaneous transfer and display of sound and images, both live and archived, over the Internet, and is becoming a popular way to view concerts, shows and sports events. However, its ability to deliver video clips in minutes has enormous potential benefit and streaming is predicted to grow at a rate of 30% to 40% annually. Streaming is a technique of transferring data so that it can be processed as a steady and continuous transmission, and it is important because most users do not have fast enough access to download large multimedia files quickly. For streaming to work, the user must download the video via a streaming video player and the browser or plug-in starts to display the data before the entire file has been transmitted. The user can then watch and listen to the video while it is being sent to their browser instead of waiting for it to download.