TripAdvisor(R), the world's most popular and largest travel community, today announced a new way to find flights that addresses the dramatic changes in the airline industry and gives customers the ability to find honest information and the best available deals. The ground-breaking flight search, now available in beta on tripadvisor.com(TM), includes a dynamic Fees Estimator, the first and only online product to help travelers understand the true cost of a flight in a single display.

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More Search Results than any Other Site

TripAdvisor now provides more flight choices than any other online flight search engine[1] for the world's top airlines. Travelers will also see direct booking links to the largest travel companies including Expedia, Travelocity, Hotwire, and nearly every major U.S. carrier. This is the first time Expedia and Hotwire have participated in this type of search and the first and only flight display that presents results for booking on Travelocity, Expedia and Hotwire together in one display, supplemented by the power of ITA Software, offering consumers more options than ever before.

"TripAdvisor is the most popular travel community today because we've always believed that travelers are smart-they just need honest, unbiased information in order to make the right decisions for themselves," said Steve Kaufer, CEO of TripAdvisor. "We've provided this model for years for hotels, attractions and restaurants-now it's time to bring this same philosophy to revolutionize flight search, not only for the millions of travelers each month who already rely on the TripAdvisor Media Network for airfares, but also for travelers everywhere who are about to discover us."

The Industry's Only Fees Estimator Offers Clarity on Fares and Fees

TripAdvisor simplifies and clarifies airline fees with the first fully integrated Fees Estimator in the industry. This revolutionary feature calculates and compares the entire cost of a domestic flight, including ticket price, fees for checked luggage and even anticipated in-flight food service and entertainment, based on the traveler's needs. Clicking on the Fees Estimator button and specifying the number of checked bags and other details will quickly recalculate search results, including all the extra fees, for the most accurate comparison.

"A family of four taking a week-long vacation has to evaluate a lot more than just the base ticket price to determine which flight is the best overall value," said Bryan Saltzburg, general manager of new initiatives at TripAdvisor and head of the new flight search engine. "It's easy to rack up hundreds of dollars in extra charges for a single trip. TripAdvisor's Fees Estimator reveals the differences during the planning process, so there are no surprises at check-in."

  Unique Features that Go the Extra Mile
  --  Rich SeatGuru content is available for the first time ever in a flight
      search engine through color-coded maps with details on legroom and
      amenities
  --  TripTip! Alerts tell travelers when business-class or first-class
      tickets are available for a price close to the coach fares they are
      considering
  --  Real-time seat availability charts are integrated into the search
      results helping travelers find the right seat at the right price
  --  Airline information bubbles appear when travelers mouse over the
      airline logos, describing special features of a particular airline,
      including seatback entertainment
  --  TripAdvisor's trusted hotel, attraction and restaurant information is
      always just a click away

[1] Comparison against the majority of flight results from major US Online Travel Agencies and major air meta search companies for roundtrip economy US domestic roundtrip results.

About TripAdvisor Media Network

TripAdvisor(R) Media Network, operated by TripAdvisor, LLC, attracts more than 32 million monthly visitors* across 14 popular travel brands: TripAdvisor(R), www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.frequentflier.com, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.travel-library.com, www.travelpod.com and www.virtualtourist.com. TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 25 million monthly visitors*, 10 million registered members and 20 million reviews and opinions. Featuring real advice from real travelers, TripAdvisor-branded sites cover 300,000+ hotels and attractions and operate in the U.S. (http://www.tripadvisor.com/), the U.K. (www.tripadvisor.co.uk), Ireland (http://www.tripadvisor.ie/), France (http://www.tripadvisor.fr/), Germany (http://www.tripadvisor.de/), Italy (http://www.tripadvisor.it/), Spain (http://www.tripadvisor.es/), India (http://www.tripadvisor.in/) and Japan (http://www.tripadvisor.jp/). TripAdvisor(R) Media Network provides travel suppliers with graphical advertising opportunities and a cost-per-click marketing platform. Collectively, the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network have won hundreds of awards and accolades from press and industry worldwide. TripAdvisor and the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network are operating companies of Expedia, Inc. .

TripAdvisor and TripAdvisor.com are registered trademarks of TripAdvisor LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries.

(C)2009 TripAdvisor LLC. All rights reserved.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix, July 2008

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SOURCE: TripAdvisor