Delta Airlines outperforms competitors and other travel industry stalwarts when it comes to success online, according to the first-ever L2 Digital IQ Index: Travel. The Index measures the digital competence of 89 travel brands across airlines, hotels and cruise companies. The Index follows similar L2 studies of such industries as automotive, pharmaceutical and specialty retail.

            The Index rated the digital efforts of prestige travel brands across four criteria: Site (35 percent, including booking, loyalty programs and interactivity); Digital Marketing (25 percent, covering search engine optimization, email marketing and display); Social Media (20 percent, specifically Facebook, Twitter and YouTube); and Mobile (20 percent, defined by compatibility and applications). Each brand was scored against more than 350 qualitative and quantitative data points, and assigned a Digital IQ ranking of Genius, Gifted, Average, Challenged or Feeble. The top 10 travel brands are Delta, Southwest, American Airlines, W Hotels, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Continental Airlines, Lufthansa, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts and Inter-Continental Hotels & Resorts.

            Delta topped the list, providing consumer convenience across digital platforms. Delta was the first airline to offer check-in and flight status on Facebook, and lets travelers book directly from its wall. Delta’s customers can also book tickets through the airline’s mobile site and have access to mobile boarding passes and 24/7 customer service through its Twitter account.

            There is significant low-hanging fruit online in the industry. At present, only 28 percent of travel brand sites incorporate social media sharing, only 9 percent include user reviews, and only 60 percent incorporate video.

There is a direct correlation between Digital IQ and the average time a consumer spends on a given site. Genius sites hold user attention for an average of 6.2 minutes, while Feeble sites average only 3.4 minutes.

Facebook is the new preferred platform of the travel industry. While traffic to brand sites in the study was down 8 percent March 2011 versus March 2010, travel industry Facebook pages grew 20 percent in the first quarter of 2011 and 78 percent of the brands registered Facebook as a top-eight source of referral traffic.

            Airlines lead the travel brands in the Index. They occupy the first three spots in the rankings and represent six of the top 10. Airlines are adept at leveraging social media to enhance the overall flying experience, moving well beyond in-flight Wi-Fi. Through Twitter, airlines offer customer service, deals, and surprise and delight experiences.

            There is a relationship between the Digital IQ of hotels and growth in average daily rate. In a recession that has led even high-end hotels to drastically cut prices, those that are excelling digitally are better poised to rebound and recover rate.

             Cruises lag in the digital arena with 70 percent (11 of the 16 brands in the study) characterized as either Challenged or Feeble. Many have poorly designed sites with limited capabilities and often no e-commerce. Royal Caribbean is the one exception, nabbing the Gifted classification. For more information, visit www.ismboston.com.