Express booking online

South African Express Airways have launched a new website at www.flysax.com, and put the focus squarely on online ticket bookings. Designed and developed by Amorphous New Media, the new site is described as an essential first step to harnessing the power of the internet for the airline.

Santhan Pillay, e-commerce manager for SA Express, says: "We felt the need to bring some new and innovative ideas into the electronic medium. We feel that the fine balance between functional and business requirements has been achieved."

According to Nausher Rahman, account manager at Amorphous, studies have consistently shown annual increases in growth of online bookings of airline tickets: "In South Africa, the recent Barclaycard Business Travel Survey confirmed the same trend amongst business travellers in this country."

He says that as the most convenient and cost effective direct-to-consumer channel, the internet offers tremendous value to the airline industry: "Having managed the entire British Airways account for Africa and the Middle East - in 27 countries, and 5 languages - Amorphous had a wealth of experience in the industry to leverage in this project."

According to Inati Ntshanga, commercial executive of SA Express, the new website and upcoming marketing activities are all firmly directed towards the airline's new strategy of catering for distinctively both the business and leisure markets: "The high level of comfort and the red-carpet experience that we offer our customers are appreciated by both tourists and business travellers. We are certainly not just another discount airline, and our service and experience is reflective of such."