Finding airline fares may get easier soon… or at least reasonable.
I was recently invited to participate in a beta for FareCast. This site predicts the cost of airfare to certain cities based on current prices, past prices and forecasts the likelihood of the price going in any certain direction or maintaining constant.
The idea is to help you find the best time to purchase your tickets, not just the best time to travel.
From the little bit of browsing I have done this service looks to be a great way to look for airline tickets.
You enter the city you are leaving from and the destination along with the number of travelers and the length of your stay, then farecast goes to work to make recommendations as to when you might buy your tickets. It also provides links to multiple airline websites. When you click to purchase the tickets, you are directed to the airlines website to do so.
The site is in private beta right now and has limitations in features. I did find a graphic showing a bit about what the results look like, and have posted it below:
I am very excited about this service for booking or planning vacations in advance. Those who travel alot on business or personal trips could gain quite alot from a service like this.
