TripAdvisor Adds Airline Ratings to Flight Search

New Feature Provides Candid Traveler Feedback on Airlines

First Flight Search Engine to Display Fare with Baggage Fee on Initial Results Page

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Jan 12, 2011, 06:00 ET

NEWTON, Mass., Jan. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor®, the world's largest travel site*, today announced that it's giving travelers More Flyerpower™ with the launch of airline ratings on TripAdvisor Flights, the site's flight meta-search engine. The new feature allows travelers to receive candid feedback on airline experiences from other fliers and provide their own airline ratings, while searching for flight options and low airfares on TripAdvisor.

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TripAdvisor Flights now features eight airline rating categories covering various aspects of the flight experience that can be rated by travelers on a scale of one to five:

Baggage Handling – Do bags make it through smoothly or get lost in the shuffle?
Check-in Experience – Is check-in a breeze or a daunting experience?
In-Flight Amenities – Can travelers expect seatback entertainment and in-flight Wi-Fi or hours of checking their watch?
In-Flight Service – Are flight staff friendly and attentive or rude and neglectful?
Punctuality – Are flights often on time or routinely delayed?
Reasonableness of Fees – Does the airline make fees clear and reasonable or do they add a significant hidden cost to the price of a ticket?
Seat Comfort – Can travelers expect a comfy ride or will they need to schedule an appointment with their chiropractor?
Value – Is the total flight cost a good value or will it empty a traveler's wallet?

When travelers conduct a flight search on TripAdvisor Flights, they are now able to quickly view and compare the traveler ratings for different airlines by clicking on the carrier name and seeing what percentage of fliers would recommend the airline to others. In addition, travelers can filter search results by minimum rating and add airline ratings of their own, as long as they are signed in as a TripAdvisor member. Using the new airline ratings feature, travelers can more easily find the airline and flight that best fits their travel needs.

"For more than a decade, TripAdvisor has been the leader in enabling travelers to access and share trusted advice on hotels, restaurants, attractions and vacation rentals," said Bryan Saltzburg, general manager of TripAdvisor Flights. "With the launch of airline ratings, the millions of travelers who use TripAdvisor Flights every month will now be able to get useful feedback on how airlines stack up against each other in terms of fees, value for the money, service, punctuality, baggage handling and a number of other factors to help ensure they have the best flight possible."

Added Transparency for Airline Fees

In addition to the launch of traveler airline ratings, TripAdvisor Flights has added a new level of transparency to airline fees by becoming the first flight search engine to expose fee information in the initial search results. Now, when travelers run a flight search on TripAdvisor Flights, the site automatically displays the cost of their flight including the cost of one checked bag at the top of the results page.

TripAdvisor's first-of-its-kind Fees Estimator also helps travelers understand the complete cost of a flight upfront, allowing them to include airline fees for checked baggage, in-flight entertainment and onboard meals and drinks, in their flight search results.

"Travelers can rest easy knowing that we search the most flight options and the lowest airfares available for them," continued Saltzburg. "With the launch of airline ratings and exposed baggage fees on TripAdvisor Flights, we're giving travelers even 'More Flyerpower' as they plan their trips."

The airline ratings feature is available starting today on TripAdvisor Flights in the U.S. and the U.K. Travelers can try out the new feature at www.tripadvisor.com/flights and www.tripadvisor.co.uk/flights.

About TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor® is the world's largest travel site, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features (including Flights search, TripAdvisor Mobile and TripAdvisor Trip Friends) with seamless links to booking tools.

TripAdvisor® Media Group, operated by TripAdvisor LLC, attracts more than 50 million unique monthly visitors* across 17 popular travel brands**. TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 40 million unique monthly visitors***, 20 million members, and over 40 million reviews and opinions. The sites operate in 27 countries worldwide****, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also operates TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to TripAdvisor's millions of monthly visitors. The division includes Business Listings, which allows hoteliers to connect directly to millions of researching travelers, and Vacation Rentals, which helps property managers and individual home owners list their properties and showcase hotel alternatives.

TripAdvisor Media Group websites have been recognized as top travel resources in 2010 by Condé Nast Traveller, Good Housekeeping, TIME magazine and Travel + Leisure.

TripAdvisor and the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Group are operating companies of Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE).

TripAdvisor, More Flyerpower and the TripAdvisor logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of TripAdvisor LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Media Group Sites, Worldwide, August 2010

** In addition to TripAdvisor, The TripAdvisor Media Group of websites includes: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.sniqueaway.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.travel-library.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com and www.kuxun.cn.