Cynical exploitation of Mother Nature, or a canny free offer to tempt customers… ?
BBC Worldwide-owned Lonely Planet says it is dropping prices from 13 of its iPhone travel guides, from Amsterdam to Vienna, for “stranded travelers”, until this Thursday, April 22.
The guides usually cost £9.49/€12.99/$15.99, so it’s a significant saving. But, since European mobile roaming prices are still hefty, mobile users who download a city guide whilst stuck abroad may well be charged a considerable amount all the same.
“If the disruption continues we may look at extending this,” Lonely Planet tells paidContent:UK.
This, of course, is just a standard limited-window free sweetener. Lonely Planet’s apps don’t currently figure in iTunes Store’s top 25 travel apps chart – if people like the free app, maybe they’ll pay the next time they visit an overseas city. Likewise, BSkyB (NYSE: BSY) made a selection of its premium shows free on Freeview Sky 3 this weekend…
But it’s the first time we’ve seen an erupting Icelandic volcano being used as the basis.
Apps by British Airways, Heathrow and flight checkers like TripTracker, FlightTrack, iFlight and UK Flights are currently popular in iTunes’ travel chart, along with Live ATC Air Radio, which lets passengers listen to air traffic control.