Bluenity: Air France Gets Social Travel All Wrong

In principle, a company like Air France might figure out an interesting angle in the social travel space, competing with Dopplr and TripIt. Consider the value that Sabre has provided to American Airlines. However, they make a big toestub that suggests they just don’t get it.

Here’s the screen for adding a trip to the new social travel site that Air France and KLM have developed, called Bluenity. One small problem: the only input for travel is importing from the Air France frequent traveler site, which means travel is limited to Air France and KLM.

Bluentity, originally uploaded by Stowe Boyd.

Thud.

Their come on was good: suggesting that it would be nice to hook up with friends that might be traveling where I am, which is the core ‘coincidensity’ notion behind Dopplr. But they get paraochial and screw it up.

Anyway, it would make sense for some aspiring American Airlines of this century to see the handwriting on the wall — namely, than more (and soon, all) travel will be arranged through social commerce — and to set up a platform on which all the airlines could play, in a simple way.

Not this one though.

If I were Virgin, I would buy Dopplr, and push in that direction as fast as possible, though.