MSN Travel (previously Bing Travel, Live Search Farecast, and Farecast.com) is a discontinued airfare prediction website in the
computer reservations system
Computer reservation systems, or central reservation systems (CRS), are computerized systems used to store and retrieve information and conduct transactions related to air travel, hotels, car rental, or other activities. Originally designed and ope ...
industry. It premiered to the public as Farecast on May 15, 2007. Until 2014, it offered predictions regarding the best time to purchase airline tickets.
History
Farecast was founded in 2003; Farecast's team of
data miners used airfare observations to build algorithms to predict future airfare price movements. In April 2008, Farecast was acquired by
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...
for $115 million. Microsoft officially integrated it as part of its Live Search group of tools in May 2008. On June 3, 2009, Microsoft officially rebranded Live Search Farecast as Bing Travel as part of its efforts to create a new search identity.
In January 2014, the airfare prediction feature was removed.
In May 2015, Microsoft rebranded Bing Travel to MSN Travel and redirected the Bing URL to MSN Travel.
In August 2015, MSN Travel flight search pages changed from being powered by
KAYAK
]
A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word '' qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be ...
to competitor
Skyscanner.
Controversy
In 2009, there were allegations that Bing Travel had copied its layouts from
Kayak.com. Microsoft denied the allegations.
References
External links
*
Eco Fly
{{Bing
Travel
Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical Location (geography), locations. Travel can be done by Pedestrian, foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without Baggage, luggage, a ...
American travel websites
Transport companies established in 2006
Internet properties established in 2006
Travel ticket search engines
Microsoft websites