Tech Shout!

Yahoo! Inc. unveiled Yahoo! FareChase, a travel search engine that offers travelers with the best prices from across the Internet and travel insights from the Yahoo! community.

Yahoo hopes that by using one trusted travel source, consumers will be able to remove the need for multiple online searches and thus save time, effort and money.

Yahoo! FareChase displays products from across the Yahoo network so that travelers can, for example, type in “compare Las Vegas hotels” into Yahoo! Search and see the best hotel prices from the Web directly inside the search results, then click on those prices to enter Yahoo! FareChase to see Las Vegas hotels plotted on a dynamic satellite/street level Map and then can read the Las Vegas trips plans of other travelers from Yahoo! Trip Planner.

Jasper Malcolmson, Director of Yahoo! Travel said, “This is the first time a search engine for travel pricing and a search engine for travel experiences have collaborated in a single product.”

New and Expanded Features of Yahoo! FareChase include:

Yahoo! Search Integration

Yahoo! Search users who search for flight or hotel information using terms such as “Flights to Las Vegas” or “Compare Las Vegas Hotels” will be shown:
- The best prices found by Yahoo! FareChase users at the top of the search results page
- Direct links to Y! FareChase real-time search
- Pre-populated web search form for a personalized experience (i.e. location/airport)

Yahoo! Trip Planner

Yahoo! Travel’s social search tool, Trip Planner enables users to create, tag, share and print personalized trip itineraries, drawing upon content from Yahoo! Travel to or from anywhere on the Web. Hotel Search integration with Trip Planner enables users the ability to:
- Tap into the travel experiences of other travelers
- Get instant access to the top Trip Plans (rated by the travel community) featuring their specific hotel, providing insights into activities and schedules that other travelers have enjoyed in that destination

Yahoo! Maps Integration

New Yahoo! Maps integration provides a visual hotel search experience and lets users:
- Use the street view as well as new satellite imagery to see landscape features and neighborhood details from high-resolution satellite imagery
- Get access to a map that focuses on interactivity, ease of use and personalization as well as gives consumers with driving directions, dynamic pan, zoom and re-center technology
- View top local attractions, restaurants, shopping venues and other entertainment options as chosen by the Yahoo! community