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(c) Elliott Publishing.

Cheap Tickets
Kirby's Korner · June 9, 2000

Nearly every Web site with a booking engine for air travel claims, in one way or another, to have the lowest fares.

Some weeks ago, I put several major Web sites to the test, comparing fares for a specific trip. With one exception, none of the Web sites beat the fare I received from my brick-and-mortar travel agent.

Since then, I've flown twice. Each time, I took my own advice and checked in with the IntelliTrip fare search engine, which found exceedingly low priced, but convenient, itineraries. Anyone looking for cheap air fares should check out IntelliTrip, which likely will get only better if plans announced this week come through.

There are two other low-fare options wired travelers should consider: 1travel.com, with its Farebeater booking engine, and the publicly available beta test of a booking engine from ITA Software, which finds low fares but also builds much more intelligence into the booking process.

IntelliTrip is operated by Trip.com, an online travel agency that is owned by Galileo International. It uses intelligent agency technology to search the Web sites of airlines (and other travel suppliers) that have signed on for the project, feeding back to travelers flights that meet the criteria they specify. The results include fares that are available only on the individual airlines' Web sites and not generally open to travel agents and other retail outlets.

The system has been quick whenever I've used it. A search through the Internet is involved, so results aren't displayed as quickly as they would be if all itineraries were compiled in a single database, but it is a much quicker process than searching the airline Web sites individually and sequentially.

There are some obvious limitations to the system. Airlines must choose to participate, so you won't find the breadth of choices you would at a general purpose online agency site. But that's where recent announcements from IntelliTrip owner Galileo come into play.

Galileo confirmed this week what its president had told reporters a month ago -- the company is using the Trip.com Web site to give airlines and other travel suppliers a direct sales outlet to travelers, letting the suppliers list inventory without having to pay commissions on the sales. Galileo did not specifically say that IntelliTrip will be an outlet for that inventory, but it would be foolish to continue the brand name if that doesn't become the case.

Expect many more than the baker's dozen of current airlines to show up on IntelliTrip in the near future.

1travel.com's Farebeater combines traditional air bookings with offerings from consolidators and what the Web site calls "White Label" fares. The White Label fares act as something of a halfway house between regular air options and services like Priceline.com's "name your own price" service.

If a White Label choice appears in response to a travel plan you've presented to Farebeater, the price will be specified, but you won't know all the details. Until after you buy the ticket, information about the carrier, precise departure and arrival times, and layovers are kept secret.

1travel says the participating airlines keep the details a secret to protect their brand names and to not tip off competitors about open seats.

Savings can reach 80 percent off published fares, according to 1travel.

1travel just received a financial investment from Amadeus Global Travel Distribution, which also has a stake in ITA Software. As part of the investment, 1travel will be able to incorporate ITA's low-fare technology within the Farebeater system.

ITA Software has created an electronic "expert system" for the travel industry that includes a low-fare search but also includes much more. It sees itself as a business-to-business company and does not expect to market directly to consumers. But to show off its technology, it has created a booking engine for consumers.

Other writers have gone gaga over the low-fare engine in recent months, and it was chosen as an element of the infamous consumer-direct Web site being developed by several airlines. Although I accept that the low-fare capabilities are good, I find the other intelligence built into the system more interesting.

We'll take a closer look at the ITA Software intelligence and the expert system of at least one other travel player next week. In the meantime, how do you find the least expensive air fares on the Web? Write me, including your name and city or town, and I'll present the results in a future column.

David Kirby is the editor of Interactive Travel Report. His column appears on Friday. You can reach him at david@ticked.com.