1. Does the service characteristic of intangibility change once a service is placed on the web? Please explain. How can a service provider “tangibilize’ their service on the web?
2. Does the service characteristic of inseparability change once a service is placed on the web? Please explain.
3. Does the service characteristic of heterogeneity change once a service is placed on the web? Please explain.
4. Does the service characteristic of perishability change once a service is placed on the web? Please explain.
5. Why would an airline, such as Southwest Airlines, not participate with online travel search engines such as Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity?

In more traditional times, booking an airline ticket involved one of three basic options. First, a customer could call the airline directly to speak to a customer service representative. The second option involved speaking to a travel agent over the phone or visiting with a travel agent at the local travel agent’s office. The third option required traveling to the local airport to purchase the ticket from a ticketing agent. All three of these options still exist today; however, many customers have opted to purchase their airline tickets from web-based services such as Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity. In addition, the airline’s own websites such as united.com, singaporeair.com, and lufthansa.com have become popular methods to purchase airline tickets.