Orbitz has introduced the most powerful fare search tool ever created, an exclusive new “Flex Search”å? feature that enables users to search up to a month`s worth of airfares on multiple carriers with one easy click.

 

Caption: Michael Sands
Chief Marketing Officer - Orbitz

“Flex Search” is aimed at the millions of consumers who have flexibility in their travel dates and want to save money by flying when fares are lowest. It`s the first tool of its kind capable of checking fare availability while searching tens of billions of fares over a broad range of dates on multiple airlines. All results are displayed on a single page in Orbitz` easy-to-read Calendar Matrix Display that facilitates fast and simple, side-by-side comparisons.

“With Flex Search, Orbitz does the heavy lifting so consumers don`t have to do endless searching,” said Mike Sands
, Orbitz Chief Marketing Officer. “Flex Search is so powerful that it would take up to 94 searches on other leading travel websites to replicate one Flex Search on Orbitz. And Flex Search is checking Orbitz` superior flight inventory of more than 455 airlines and the Internet`s largest collection of web fares, so travelers can save time and money finding the lowest fares in a snap.”

Orbitz` research revealed that at least 20 percent of consumers would change their travel dates to get a lower fare. Yet, trying to find the best deal over multiple travel dates usually requires numerous flight searches, clicking back and forth between pages and the frustration of not being able to easily compare results. In addition, other calendar search tools on the web aren`t capable of checking availability early in the search, and too often disappoint users by returning fares that are already sold out.

Based on input from consumers about their travel booking preferences, Flex Search was designed to offer three convenient and customizable ways to find the lowest fares:

- Weekends Option: Want to plan a weekend get-away but not sure
    when it`s cheapest to go?  Thanks to the weekend search
    option, consumers can find the cheapest airfares for weekend
    trips in any month. With one click, Orbitz will check up to 42
    date combinations to show low fares for weekend travel over an
    entire month.

 
- Flexible Stays Option: Have a certain number of vacation days
    that you want to use up?  Consumers with an approximate trip
    length and flexibility in their travel dates (for example, 3 -
    5 or 7 - 10 days) will appreciate knowing the cheapest time to
    plan their vacation.  Orbitz allows consumers to search up to
    94 date combinations with one click to find the lowest fares
    over a range of dates in a 30-day time period.

 
- Bonus Days Option: Traveling a day, two or three earlier, or
    later, can result in significant fare savings, and Orbitz now
    lets travelers find out how much instantly.  The Bonus Days
    option allows travelers to designate their level of
    flexibility in traveling up to 3 days before and/or after the
    departure and return dates, searching up to 49 date
    combinations with a single click to find the lowest available
    fares.

“Orbitz launched in 2001 with the most powerful flight search engine and the most comprehensive and unbiased fare display. But we didn`t stop there. Orbitz has continued to take advantage of falling technology prices and increased computing power to create even newer and more robust search tools for consumers,” said Alex Zoghlin
, Orbitz Chief Technology Officer. “Flex Search is the fastest and most efficient way to find a bargain when your travel dates are flexible but your budget isn`t.”

To search using Flex Search on Orbitz.com
, enter desired dates and destinations in the Orbot on the Orbitz home page and click on, “My dates are flexible.” Flex Search is available for flight searches in the U.S., Canada, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Related stories on ITN:

(03/03/2003) Orbitz Introduces Unique Travel Watch Feature

(28/02/2003) Orbitz Set to Introduce New Online Feature

(29/01/2003) Worldspan and Orbitz Joint Technology Agreement

——-