Travel search engine is the first to integrate legroom and other valuable information, into flight results

PriceGrabber.com®, an Experian company, today released enhancements to its travel search engine, including the integrated display of amenity information such as legroom and onboard entertainment, discussion forums and hotel reviews. These new features will help travelers make the best decision when comparing airfare and hotel rates from PriceGrabber Travel's more than 50 online partners. In conjunction with the latest enhancements, PriceGrabber.com has launched a sweepstakes where you can "Win a Trip to the Rest of the U.S". While many contests offer trips within the continental United States, this one allows travelers to select from the more exotic locations of Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In The Web Site Content That Matters to Travelers (February 2005), Forrester Research notes that "With 32 percent of U.S. leisure Bookers motivated by entertainment, travelers expect travel Web sites to provide them with information and insight to get the most out of their trips."

PriceGrabber.com is the first to respond to that need by integrating amenity information into the flight search process directly. Travelers now will have access to legroom, onboard entertainment equipment (overhead screen, live television, etc.) and powerport availability by airline and aircraft in addition to the on-time performance that PriceGrabber.com pioneered last year. To help expedite the traveler's search, PriceGrabber.com displays this information in the easy-to-read "stoplight" format that shows green for above average, yellow for average and red for below average.

"There is more to choosing a flight than price and schedule, but people don't often have easy access to additional information," said Brett Snyder, business director of PriceGrabber Travel. "For example, people traveling from Philadelphia to Paris in economy class may want to know that of the two airlines flying nonstop, one offers more legroom along with better entertainment selections via audio/video on demand. At PriceGrabber.com we are focused on offering travelers more relevant information so that they can make the best decisions for themselves when planning their trips."

Also announced today are PriceGrabber.com's improved discussion forums and the addition of hotel reviews. The forums, which have always been full of news, trip reports and travel questions, now allow travelers to upload photos with their posts. The forums also have been given a prominent position on the homepage to encourage shoppers to visit and post their travel experiences. RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds have been added to the forums so travelers can keep up to date using any RSS reader. In addition to the forums, travelers now are able to leave hotel reviews to help their fellow travelers make the best choices possible. Hotel reviews can be accessed from the individual hotel pages.

To celebrate these changes, PriceGrabber.com launched a unique sweepstakes that gives every user the chance to Win a Trip to the Rest of the U.S. The grand prize winner will have $3,500 to plan a trip to one of the following locations outside the continental United States: Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands. In addition, the winner will receive a digital camera and guidebook, all found at PriceGrabber.com. Entries must be received by 5 p.m. PST on November 17, 2006. To enter, visit pricegrabber.com/travel_promo.php.