Comments on: Use Farecast To Find Flight Deals (or just fly Southwest) http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/ Startup and Technology News Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:06:55 -0800 hourly 1 By: مركز التحميل http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-2/#comment-3029824 مركز التحميل Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:46:03 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-3029824 Intuitive and fast search tool for flights, hotels, visa info, weather, etc. Intuitive and fast search tool for flights, hotels, visa info, weather, etc.

]]> By: flight deals |hotel yellow pages http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-2/#comment-2403897 flight deals |hotel yellow pages Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:57:24 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-2403897 [...] Use Farecast To Find Flight Deals (or just fly Southwest) [...] [...] Use Farecast To Find Flight Deals (or just fly Southwest) [...]

]]> By: E-sniper » Blog Archive » Farecast Now Offers International Flight Price Predictions http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-2/#comment-1981395 E-sniper » Blog Archive » Farecast Now Offers International Flight Price Predictions Fri, 08 Feb 2008 23:23:28 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-1981395 [...] which launched in May 2006, tries to predict flight price changes for consumers so they know whether to buy now or [...] [...] which launched in May 2006, tries to predict flight price changes for consumers so they know whether to buy now or [...]

]]> By: Farecast’s Price Guarantee on Flights Goes Live http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-2/#comment-1268155 Farecast’s Price Guarantee on Flights Goes Live Fri, 23 Mar 2007 12:36:44 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-1268155 [...] liked Farecast since we first covered them, but note that some of the most competitive airlines, including SouthWest, don’t allow [...] [...] liked Farecast since we first covered them, but note that some of the most competitive airlines, including SouthWest, don’t allow [...]

]]> By: Resistance is Futile » Farecast: predictor de vuelos baratos http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-2/#comment-1245296 Resistance is Futile » Farecast: predictor de vuelos baratos Mon, 19 Mar 2007 12:54:52 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-1245296 [...] Actualización: Ya he recibido la invitación para probar el servicio (dispongo de 25 más por si a alguien le interesa) y sí, es sólo USA y de momento como origen solo hay dos ciudades, Seattle y otra, aunque el servicio es una pasada, la interfaz es genial y es super rápido, aunque bueno no es muy intuitivo tiene bastantes tutoriales de apoyo (Vía TechCrunch) [...] [...] Actualización: Ya he recibido la invitación para probar el servicio (dispongo de 25 más por si a alguien le interesa) y sí, es sólo USA y de momento como origen solo hay dos ciudades, Seattle y otra, aunque el servicio es una pasada, la interfaz es genial y es super rápido, aunque bueno no es muy intuitivo tiene bastantes tutoriales de apoyo (Vía TechCrunch) [...]

]]> By: www.smart-travel.tk http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-2/#comment-790532 www.smart-travel.tk Fri, 26 Jan 2007 08:20:18 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-790532 This is indeed a great travel site, but it lacks integration with other aspects of travel. We invite you to try: <a href="http://www.smart-travel.tk" rel="nofollow">www.smart-travel.tk</a> Intuitive and fast search tool for flights, hotels, visa info, weather, etc. This is indeed a great travel site, but it lacks integration with other aspects of travel. We invite you to try:

http://www.smart-travel.tk

Intuitive and fast search tool for flights, hotels, visa info, weather, etc.

]]> By: Techcrunch » Blog Archive » Farecast launches for 55 US cities http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-2/#comment-148142 Techcrunch » Blog Archive » Farecast launches for 55 US cities Mon, 21 Aug 2006 07:09:53 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-148142 [...] Seattle startup Farecast is taking their airfare prediction technology nation wide today, flights departing from 55 US cities are now available for price history, predictions and buy/wait recommendations. The site also offers RSS feeds for automatically tracking fares and predictions over time. We’ve written about Farecast prior to launch and when the beta site first opened. [...] [...] Seattle startup Farecast is taking their airfare prediction technology nation wide today, flights departing from 55 US cities are now available for price history, predictions and buy/wait recommendations. The site also offers RSS feeds for automatically tracking fares and predictions over time. We’ve written about Farecast prior to launch and when the beta site first opened. [...]

]]> By: TechCrunch Japanese アーカイブ » 航空料金予測エンジンのFarecast 、本日パブリックベータ版をリリース http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-2/#comment-85788 TechCrunch Japanese アーカイブ » 航空料金予測エンジンのFarecast 、本日パブリックベータ版をリリース Tue, 27 Jun 2006 21:14:25 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-85788 [...] プライベートベータ版がリリースされたときに、MikeがFarecastのサービスのレビューをし、その中で、彼はいつも最安値の価格を提供するSouthWestがサービスに含まれていないことに不満だと書いた。SouthWestは価格情報をどの外部サービスにも提供していない。そして、Farecastは検索結果に少なくともSouthWestのスケジュールを表示している。だから、彼らは最善を尽くしているように思えるのだが。果たしてこれが問題となるかどうは、しばらく様子を見ることにしよう。 [...] [...] プライベートベータ版がリリースされたときに、MikeがFarecastのサービスのレビューをし、その中で、彼はいつも最安値の価格を提供するSouthWestがサービスに含まれていないことに不満だと書いた。SouthWestは価格情報をどの外部サービスにも提供していない。そして、Farecastは検索結果に少なくともSouthWestのスケジュールを表示している。だから、彼らは最善を尽くしているように思えるのだが。果たしてこれが問題となるかどうは、しばらく様子を見ることにしよう。 [...]

]]> By: TechCrunch » Blog Archive » Farecast airfare prediction engine opens public beta today http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-1/#comment-85560 TechCrunch » Blog Archive » Farecast airfare prediction engine opens public beta today Tue, 27 Jun 2006 15:47:03 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-85560 [...] Mike reviewed Farecast when it went into private beta; he complained that SouthWest wasn’t included and always has the best prices. SouthWest doesn’t open their prices to anyone and Farecast does include Southwest schedules in their search results - so it seems they are doing their best. Whether it matters remains to be seen. [...] [...] Mike reviewed Farecast when it went into private beta; he complained that SouthWest wasn’t included and always has the best prices. SouthWest doesn’t open their prices to anyone and Farecast does include Southwest schedules in their search results – so it seems they are doing their best. Whether it matters remains to be seen. [...]

]]> By: jrhawk http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-1/#comment-84926 jrhawk Mon, 26 Jun 2006 20:12:06 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-84926 Could you send me an invite? Could you send me an invite?

]]> By: Doug Sherrets http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-1/#comment-77449 Doug Sherrets Tue, 20 Jun 2006 01:13:54 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-77449 Hi Mike, I think Farecast in some ways is designed to fail if too many people use the service. Here are my thoughts, which are also located on my blog here: http://www.mrmarkets.com/2006/06/if_farecast_ser.html If Farecast serves millions of people, it is designed to fail Farecast could absolutely change the way people think about buying airline tickets online. It is only available in Seattle and Boston right now, but once it rolls out to all cities, you will be able to see historical pricing for routes at a given time of the year. This is great because airlines are quite predictable in the pricing moves they make. Observe the pricing graph, and you can easily tell if it is a good time to buy a given ticket, or best to wait a few days. The problem here is that Farecast is designed to be a victim of its success. That is, if everyone uses Farecast, then the airlines have a serious problem because their pricing schemes will no longer work. The result? Airlines will change how they price, which will cause Farecast to become a whole lot less good at predicting prices. What can Farecast do to avoid this? If they have meaningful patents, they can prevent competitors like Flyspy from making the same information available to everyone. If that is the case, then Farecast could sell subscriptions. By limiting it to people most willing to pay, the impact of Farecast on revenues would likely not be great enough to force the airlines to change their pricing policies. However, as Mike Arrington points out, it may be in the best interests of consumers that websites like Farecast exist. Why? Because if airlines are pushed, they may come up with a simpler pricing structure. Funniest of all is that Southwest is not on Farecast, often has the best rates, has the simplest pricing of all and has been profitable for years while other airlines have declared bankruptcy multiple times. Go figure. Hi Mike,

I think Farecast in some ways is designed to fail if too many people use the service. Here are my thoughts, which are also located on my blog here:

http://www.mrma...recast_ser.html

If Farecast serves millions of people, it is designed to fail

Farecast could absolutely change the way people think about buying airline tickets online. It is only available in Seattle and Boston right now, but once it rolls out to all cities, you will be able to see historical pricing for routes at a given time of the year. This is great because airlines are quite predictable in the pricing moves they make. Observe the pricing graph, and you can easily tell if it is a good time to buy a given ticket, or best to wait a few days.

The problem here is that Farecast is designed to be a victim of its success. That is, if everyone uses Farecast, then the airlines have a serious problem because their pricing schemes will no longer work. The result? Airlines will change how they price, which will cause Farecast to become a whole lot less good at predicting prices.

What can Farecast do to avoid this? If they have meaningful patents, they can prevent competitors like Flyspy from making the same information available to everyone. If that is the case, then Farecast could sell subscriptions. By limiting it to people most willing to pay, the impact of Farecast on revenues would likely not be great enough to force the airlines to change their pricing policies.

However, as Mike Arrington points out, it may be in the best interests of consumers that websites like Farecast exist. Why? Because if airlines are pushed, they may come up with a simpler pricing structure.

Funniest of all is that Southwest is not on Farecast, often has the best rates, has the simplest pricing of all and has been profitable for years while other airlines have declared bankruptcy multiple times.

Go figure.

]]> By: Mr. Markets http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-1/#comment-77436 Mr. Markets Tue, 20 Jun 2006 01:10:32 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-77436 <strong>If Farecast serves millions of people, it is designed to fail...</strong> Farecast could absolutely change the way people think about buying airline tickets online. It is only available in Seattle and Boston right now, but once it rolls out to all cities, you will be able to see historical pricing for... If Farecast serves millions of people, it is designed to fail…

Farecast could absolutely change the way people think about buying airline tickets online. It is only available in Seattle and Boston right now, but once it rolls out to all cities, you will be able to see historical pricing for…

]]> By: jeriann fleres http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-1/#comment-66227 jeriann fleres Wed, 07 Jun 2006 20:08:50 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-66227 may i please have an invite. thank you may i please have an invite. thank you

]]> By: MobileRead Networks - Farecast private beta invites here http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-1/#comment-66182 MobileRead Networks - Farecast private beta invites here Wed, 07 Jun 2006 18:30:02 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-66182 [...] Farecast private beta invites here Farecast is a new Web 2.0 service to find best deals on US domestic (and eventually global) flights. From TechCrunch: Seattle-based Farecast, now in private beta, is an airfare pricing comparision tool that also uses a predictive algorithm to recommend when you buy your ticket. So the idea is to show the user not just who has the cheapest ticket, but whether or not waiting might make sense as well. You can also read more about it here. If you are interested in an invitation (I have 20 of them), reply to this thread and PM me your e-mail (if you post your e-mail here, it'll get spidered by nasty spam bots). [...] [...] Farecast private beta invites here Farecast is a new Web 2.0 service to find best deals on US domestic (and eventually global) flights. From TechCrunch: Seattle-based Farecast, now in private beta, is an airfare pricing comparision tool that also uses a predictive algorithm to recommend when you buy your ticket. So the idea is to show the user not just who has the cheapest ticket, but whether or not waiting might make sense as well. You can also read more about it here. If you are interested in an invitation (I have 20 of them), reply to this thread and PM me your e-mail (if you post your e-mail here, it’ll get spidered by nasty spam bots). [...]

]]> By: My World… by Joker » Farecast to give you predictions on ticket pricing http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-1/#comment-65556 My World… by Joker » Farecast to give you predictions on ticket pricing Wed, 07 Jun 2006 05:33:28 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-65556 [...] I was reading searchblog today after a few days away from the scene and picked up the Farecast story. I also had to read TechCrunch’s take on it since the link was also included on John’s blog. [...] [...] I was reading searchblog today after a few days away from the scene and picked up the Farecast story. I also had to read TechCrunch’s take on it since the link was also included on John’s blog. [...]

]]> By: kaiju http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-1/#comment-61484 kaiju Fri, 02 Jun 2006 20:03:32 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-61484 What a worhtless site. What a worhtless site.

]]> By: arjun prabhu http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-1/#comment-59253 arjun prabhu Wed, 31 May 2006 20:28:49 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-59253 Sounds great. Can anyone send me an invite? Sounds great. Can anyone send me an invite?

]]> By: A vote of “fair” cast for Farecast -- Chip’s Quips http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-1/#comment-58143 A vote of “fair” cast for Farecast -- Chip’s Quips Tue, 30 May 2006 21:49:32 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-58143 [...] I got my beta invitation to try out Farecast, a new service that helps you plan flights (thanks TechCrunch). For the beta, they only provide info on flights from Seattle or Boston, but my home airport is Seattle so no problem there. This service does at least two things better than Expedia and Travelocity: [...] [...] I got my beta invitation to try out Farecast, a new service that helps you plan flights (thanks TechCrunch). For the beta, they only provide info on flights from Seattle or Boston, but my home airport is Seattle so no problem there. This service does at least two things better than Expedia and Travelocity: [...]

]]> By: Different Jon http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-1/#comment-58052 Different Jon Tue, 30 May 2006 19:02:15 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-58052 I hate SWA. Assign me a seat already. Will gladly pay more for a "major". I hate SWA. Assign me a seat already.

Will gladly pay more for a “major”.

]]> By: jonto http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-1/#comment-57788 jonto Tue, 30 May 2006 12:18:04 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-57788 @Dave No. 11 I found the pdf that you mentioned. It can be downloaded here. http://www.hss.caltech.edu/~mcafee/Papers/PDF/PriceIsRight.pdf @Dave No. 11

I found the pdf that you mentioned. It can be downloaded here.
http://www.hss....riceIsRight.pdf

]]> By: Dennis Howlett http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-1/#comment-57459 Dennis Howlett Tue, 30 May 2006 03:27:00 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-57459 Farecast is wandering into dangerous waters. The 'fear' that prices might go up may be attractive to some, but if you're a regular traveller to/from certain destinations, it's possible to game the system without any sophisticated tools. But no-one can beat the low cost airlines like SW or, in our case, Easyjet/RyanAir. These companies have smart business models, supported by lean systems that are very difficult to game. In other words, they don't play by 'the rules.' Isn't that what innovation is supposed to be about? Farecast is wandering into dangerous waters. The ‘fear’ that prices might go up may be attractive to some, but if you’re a regular traveller to/from certain destinations, it’s possible to game the system without any sophisticated tools.

But no-one can beat the low cost airlines like SW or, in our case, Easyjet/RyanAir. These companies have smart business models, supported by lean systems that are very difficult to game. In other words, they don’t play by ‘the rules.’

Isn’t that what innovation is supposed to be about?

]]> By: Suren http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-1/#comment-57384 Suren Tue, 30 May 2006 00:55:02 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-57384 Can someone send me an invite? Thanks. surenraveendran at gmail.com Can someone send me an invite? Thanks. surenraveendran at gmail.com

]]> By: Restart your life » Blog Archive » Entertainment - 58% Mouth to Mouth Sherry, a young runaway meets the http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-1/#comment-57352 Restart your life » Blog Archive » Entertainment - 58% Mouth to Mouth Sherry, a young runaway meets the Mon, 29 May 2006 23:11:32 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-57352 [...] What If You Could See Airline Pricing Algorithms? Even with a variety of price comparison tools at our fingertips, shopping for plane tickets is still a black art. Prices change depending on ticket availability, route popularity, and a cadre of other unseen factors. A new site, Farecast, attempts to help would-be travelers decide when the best time to buy a plane ticket by forecasting future ticket price changes. Price transparency is good for the consumer, and the mere fact that a site like this even gets any buzz is symptomatic of the frustration that consumers feel for the whole ticket buying process. If Farecast is able to accurately predict this market and increase price transparency, consumers will win out by getting some valuable insight on a very confusing process. Then again, if too successful, at which point do these forecasts start actually influencing the prices themselves? [...] [...] What If You Could See Airline Pricing Algorithms? Even with a variety of price comparison tools at our fingertips, shopping for plane tickets is still a black art. Prices change depending on ticket availability, route popularity, and a cadre of other unseen factors. A new site, Farecast, attempts to help would-be travelers decide when the best time to buy a plane ticket by forecasting future ticket price changes. Price transparency is good for the consumer, and the mere fact that a site like this even gets any buzz is symptomatic of the frustration that consumers feel for the whole ticket buying process. If Farecast is able to accurately predict this market and increase price transparency, consumers will win out by getting some valuable insight on a very confusing process. Then again, if too successful, at which point do these forecasts start actually influencing the prices themselves? [...]

]]> By: Restart your life » Blog Archive » Entertainment - 33% One Last Thing ONE LAST THING is a bittersweet http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-1/#comment-57275 Restart your life » Blog Archive » Entertainment - 33% One Last Thing ONE LAST THING is a bittersweet Mon, 29 May 2006 21:16:15 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-57275 [...] What If You Could See Airline Pricing Algorithms? Even with a variety of price comparison tools at our fingertips, shopping for plane tickets is still a black art. Prices change depending on ticket availability, route popularity, and a cadre of other unseen factors. A new site, Farecast, attempts to help would-be travelers decide when the best time to buy a plane ticket by forecasting future ticket price changes. Price transparency is good for the consumer, and the mere fact that a site like this even gets any buzz is symptomatic of the frustration that consumers feel for the whole ticket buying process. If Farecast is able to accurately predict this market and increase price transparency, consumers will win out by getting some valuable insight on a very confusing process. Then again, if too successful, at which point do these forecasts start actually influencing the prices themselves? [...] [...] What If You Could See Airline Pricing Algorithms? Even with a variety of price comparison tools at our fingertips, shopping for plane tickets is still a black art. Prices change depending on ticket availability, route popularity, and a cadre of other unseen factors. A new site, Farecast, attempts to help would-be travelers decide when the best time to buy a plane ticket by forecasting future ticket price changes. Price transparency is good for the consumer, and the mere fact that a site like this even gets any buzz is symptomatic of the frustration that consumers feel for the whole ticket buying process. If Farecast is able to accurately predict this market and increase price transparency, consumers will win out by getting some valuable insight on a very confusing process. Then again, if too successful, at which point do these forecasts start actually influencing the prices themselves? [...]

]]> By: Restart your life » Blog Archive » Entertainment - The TV Watch: ‘American Idol’ Dresses Up for Its Big http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/comment-page-1/#comment-57246 Restart your life » Blog Archive » Entertainment - The TV Watch: ‘American Idol’ Dresses Up for Its Big Mon, 29 May 2006 20:45:41 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/26/use-farecast-to-find-flight-deals-or-just-fly-southwest/#comment-57246 [...] What If You Could See Airline Pricing Algorithms? Even with a variety of price comparison tools at our fingertips, shopping for plane tickets is still a black art. Prices change depending on ticket availability, route popularity, and a cadre of other unseen factors. A new site, Farecast, attempts to help would-be travelers decide when the best time to buy a plane ticket by forecasting future ticket price changes. Price transparency is good for the consumer, and the mere fact that a site like this even gets any buzz is symptomatic of the frustration that consumers feel for the whole ticket buying process. If Farecast is able to accurately predict this market and increase price transparency, consumers will win out by getting some valuable insight on a very confusing process. Then again, if too successful, at which point do these forecasts start actually influencing the prices themselves? [...] [...] What If You Could See Airline Pricing Algorithms? Even with a variety of price comparison tools at our fingertips, shopping for plane tickets is still a black art. Prices change depending on ticket availability, route popularity, and a cadre of other unseen factors. A new site, Farecast, attempts to help would-be travelers decide when the best time to buy a plane ticket by forecasting future ticket price changes. Price transparency is good for the consumer, and the mere fact that a site like this even gets any buzz is symptomatic of the frustration that consumers feel for the whole ticket buying process. If Farecast is able to accurately predict this market and increase price transparency, consumers will win out by getting some valuable insight on a very confusing process. Then again, if too successful, at which point do these forecasts start actually influencing the prices themselves? [...]

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