The Holy Grail of Airfare/Flight Search Engines

[r.e.]

Maybe I'm the last to know, but this smokes: http://itasoftware.com/

Click on Airfare Search, which takes you to http://matrix.itasoftware.com. There's also an app.

[Scott Walker]

Maybe I'm the last to know, but this smokes: http://itasoftware.com/

Click on Airfare Search, which takes you to http://matrix.itasoftware.com. There's also an app.

Excellent, thanks for sharing. Downloaded the app :)

[r.e.]

It's also being used to power Google's fairly new search/booking engine for flights: http://www.google.com/flights/

Here's a Washington Post article from a few days ago about Google Flights: http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/googles-flight-search-becoming-formidable-which-could-be-a-problem/2011/12/19/gIQAYAlhcP_story.html

[Eric Rose]

Founded by MIT computer scientists, ITA Software by Google is a leading provider of innovative solutions for the travel industry. Our solutions have a transformative impact on a large, dynamic industry that affects millions of people daily. ITA’s QPX, a comprehensive airfare shopping system, is used by leading airlines and travel distributors worldwide. ITA is now offering a completely new airline passenger reservation system to improve the customer experience.

[r.e.]

It's worth spending a half hour or so playing with this search engine. There are all kinds of filters that can be used to expand or narrow a search, and many ways to order search results. One thing I love about it is the ease and speed with which searches can be modified.

It is head and shoulders above sites like Expedia, Kayak, etc. even if it's being used to power a number of those sites. The app version is clean and simple, but I'm not sure yet whether it is as fully functional.

There's a competing programme called Haystack that it appears can be accessed through at least one internet site, but it apparently does not (yet) have as much functionality.

[Curt]

It doesn't work on an iPhone. The pull down for the number of persons only allows 1.

[jb7]

I've been using the skyscanner app on the iphone- I think I still prefer it-

[CantikFotos]

According Google Flights, Saipan is not part of the US but Guam is.