A deal between Vodafone live! and Virgin Atlantic sees the travel industry break new barriers.  From today, the London to New York commuter, or indeed weekend shopper, will have another weapon in their technological armory - the ability to book their next flight entirely from the comfort of…well…anywhere.

The new service, the first of its kind in Europe, will allow Vodafone live! customers to browse for Virgin Atlantic flights and offers, check availability, and purchase tickets via their mobile phone.  This service is unique, having been designed to avoid any need for pre-registration and will allow travellers to ‘buy on the fly’- supplying credit card details only when they are ready to make their booking.

The arrangement is expected to be speedily adopted by the mobile generation.  According to ABTA, 39% of UK holidaymakers were already booking some of their travel online during 2002.

 

“Our award-winning service means that Virgin Atlantic’s online portfolio is presented with simplicity and with an ease-of-use unrivalled on the mobile phone,” says Al Russell, Head of Vodafone UK Content Services.  “It is vital for both Virgin Atlantic and Vodafone UK to innovate with customers in mind and deliver services that appeal and enhance their lifestyles; Virgin Atlantic on live! is just one example of our innovative approach.  Since take off, Vodafone live! has continued to link up with the best to guarantee customers have access to familiar brands and services on the move.”

 

The amount of content and services has tripled in size since launch in October 2002 and Vodafone live! now offers travel services from household names such as lastminute.com, the AA and TimeOut Travel as well as Virgin Atlantic, plus maps, guides and timetables for those traveling on foot, by car, by plane or by train.

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