I recently came across the website of www.expedia.co.in and was pretty surprised to realize that their interface for flight selection is exactly the same as www.cleartrip.com, a site I’ve used a lot in the past and consider in good regard because of the design sensibilities exhibited. Shown below is the flow from the homepage to the flight selection page for Expedia and Cleartrip.

As you can see, Expedia is using the same interface as that for Cleartrip with some minor tweaking in the pricing as part of their deals. Maybe the two companies have struck a deal, as part of which Expedia is using Cleartrip’s interface (being older). Though I couldn’t find any news for a tie-up, it is very unlikely for Expedia to have ripped the other’s design. 

I have been an admirer of Cleartrip’s simple, clean and intelligent interface; the primary reason of being a loyal follower of the site till date inspite of some other competitors offering better deals, because of the reliability and clarity its design radiated. But upon finding the same interface at Expedia, I felt this angry rush of disappointment and shock. It was like finding another company selling their product using a design created by Apple, the deal approved by Apple itself. I felt as if Cleartrip had led itself down, by sharing their USP with someone else. To look at things in perspective, for me, now Cleartrip wasn’t the only place to go for booking a flight, as there was another place that offered the same novelty, and maybe offered a better financial deal around as well. I’m not sure of the reasons that led Cleartrip to lend its interface; but by allowing their design to be templatized, they just diluted their worth. Though still a great site, it is one amongst many now.