Search giant Yahoo announced on September 8 that it would soon begin testing a search engine called FareChase that allows travel shoppers to compare prices. The Yahoo travel search prototype is similar to a travel search beta that FareChase, an Israeli-based online travel company which Yahoo bought in July 2004, has had on its own website.
The site (www.farechase.com), helps users find and buy flights on various airlines, offers hotel room and car rental bookings, provides a comparison of fares and prices but sends users to provider's website, such as an airline's site or online travel agency, to book travel.
Now with FareChase, Yahoo has an advantage over its rivals, because neither of them has their own travel search engine. Yahoo said it would collect user feedback for further development of FareChase.
