LONDON, U.K. – 6 OCTOBER, 2009 – TripAdvisor®, the world’s most popular and largest travel community, today announced the launch of its award-winning flight search engine in the U.K., offering British travellers a vast selection of flight itineraries and the best available deals on the Web. The ground-breaking flight search, now available in beta on tripadvisor.co.ukTM, also includes a dynamic Fees Estimator – a first-of-its-kind product to help travellers understand the true cost of a flight in a single display with payment method charges and other fees included.
One Stop Shopping for a Wide Range of Flight Itineraries
With a TripAdvisor survey of 600 Britons revealing that the average traveller currently spends three and a half hours researching flight options across six different websites in order to find the optimum flight, TripAdvisor’s new flight search will help simplify and shorten the trip-planning process.
TripAdvisor provides one of the widest selections of flight choices online from the world’s top airlines and travel companies. Travellers will see direct booking links to leading carriers including BA, Virgin Atlantic and bmi to name a few, in addition to the U.K.’s largest travel companies including Expedia, Opodo and ebookers.com, giving consumers a wealth of flight options right at their fingertips.
Europe’s Only Fees Estimator Offers Clarity on Fares and Fees
TripAdvisor simplifies the array of airline fees with the first fully integrated Fees Estimator in Europe. This revolutionary feature calculates and compares the entire cost of a flight from the U.K. to destinations throughout continental Europe, including ticket price, charges associated with some payment methods, fees for checked luggage and even anticipated in-flight food and beverage service, based on the traveller's needs.
The indispensable tool will bring clarity to a climate of confusion, with TripAdvisor’s survey revealing that 68 percent of British travellers have been surprised by the final cost of a flight, as a result of ‘add-ons’. Meanwhile, two thirds of travellers (64 percent) do not know what their free-baggage allowance is across the major carriers, whilst 77 percent are unaware of what the differing card-payment fees are. Now, simply clicking on the Fees Estimator button and specifying the number of checked bags and other details will quickly recalculate search results with the extra fees included, for the most accurate comparison up front.
“After successfully launching TripAdvisor’s flight search in the U.S. and helping millions of travellers find the lowest ticket prices the most often, we wanted to bring our award-winning tool to the U.K.,” said Bryan Saltzburg, general manager of new initiatives at TripAdvisor and head of the flight search engine. “Now, British travellers will be able to easily search a large selection of flight choices all in one place and can use TripAdvisor’s integrated Fees Estimator to reveal the extra charges associated with their flight, so there won’t be any surprises at check-in.”
Unique Features that Go the Extra Mile
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Comprehensive SeatGuru content is available for the first time ever in a flight search engine through colour-coded maps with detailed information about each seat, from legroom to noise levels
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Built-in currency converter that allows users to display flight prices in many of the world’s major currencies
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Airline information bubbles appear when travellers mouse over the airline logos, describing special features of a particular airline, including seatback entertainment
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TripAdvisor's trusted hotel, attraction and restaurant information is always just a click away
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Amelie Hurst, TripAdvisor
+44 (0) 20 3320 3244 / 07791 605 888 / ahurst@tripadvisor.com
