TripAdvisor on
Tuesday introduced a redesigned flight search, complete with user reviews of airlines.
TripAdvisor has also launched a “flyscore” feature within its
search results. On a 1 to 10 scale, “flyscore” measures a flight based upon
reviews of the airline, type of aircraft used, amenities offered on the
flight and length of itinerary.
Tuesday’s upgrade of its flight search is TripAdvisor’s first major redesign of the
service in seven years, according to communications director Brian Hoyt.
“Travelers now
have a go-to resource for making more informed air travel decisions based not
only on the price of the flight, but the total experience with the airline as
viewed by TripAdvisor’s community of more than 340 million monthly unique
visitors,” the company said in a statement.
The addition of
airline reviews gives TripAdvisor’s flight-search users the same popular
feature that the website has long been known for when it comes to hotels and
restaurants. TripAdvisor had been beta-testing the reviews since the spring,
Hoyt said, and went live with thousands of reviews for hundreds of airlines
globally.
The reviews rank individual characteristics of an airline, including
legroom, seat comfort, cleanliness, customer service, food and beverages, value
for money, WiFi and in-flight entertainment, and check-in/boarding
processes.
TripAdvisor
previously gave information on flight amenities, but the revamped platform provides more details, such as the availability of power ports and the
type of WiFi on offer.
Hoyt said that
additional fields detailing the ancillary offerings and packages of airlines
are still to be rolled out.