Featuring first-ever desktop farewatcher sidebar - this personal shopping tool allows consumers, to hone in on relevant deals faster and easier through new windows vista sidebar.

Time-strapped travelers have a new tool in their quest for great travel bargains. Travelocity has launched a first-of-its-kind desktop sidebar fare monitoring feature. The next generation Travelocity FareWatcher? tool, which notifies travelers when their pre-selected flight routes show a drop in price, has moved beyond the online realm to get deals in the hands of hungry consumers even faster – via their desktop.

Now, users of the cutting-edge Microsoft Vista operating system released in Jan. 2007 can easily access personalized deals through a convenient Vista Sidebar, without lifting a finger. Whether members are already registered to receive FareWatcher via e-mail or RSS feed or are setting up the service for the first time, the desktop tool offers another channel for consumers to access relevant travel content faster than ever before through an exclusive Travelocity feature.

"Because our customers repeatedly tell us that FareWatcher is one of Travelocity's most valued tools, we wanted to make it even easier for them to track deals to the destinations that truly matter to them," said Jeffrey Glueck, chief marketing officer for Travelocity. "While we're always working to find our members the best deals, we're equally focused on giving them personalized information that adds real value to the entire trip experience."

How to Download the Gadget

Once Microsoft Vista is installed onto their computer, consumers can visit travelocity.com/downloadgallery (or link via the homepage) to access the Desktop FareWatcher landing page. From there, the user simply downloads the sidebar gadget which prompts them to set up their preferred FareWatcher alert routes.

How It Works

Once a member has downloaded the Desktop FareWatcher gadget, they will receive a wide range of updates to better help them find the travel deal that meets their needs. Upon logging into the computer, Travelocity's Roaming Gnome will appear as a desktop sidebar featuring a daily welcome quip. Additional notification features include:

Updates when Travelocity finds a price decrease for one or more of their three pre-selected routes. If the consumer wants to search for available travel dates at that price, they simply follow the highlighted link to Travelocity's booking path;

• Daily updates highlighting featured flight promotions across the site;
• Booking capabilities across multiple Travelocity products (from flights and hotels to car rentals, cruises and Travelocity TotalTrip? packages); and
• A "consumer feedback" link that allows consumers to offer suggestions on how to make the tool even more useful.

In addition to the expanded FareWatcher feature, the site offers a number of industry-leading tools and technology that further customize the shopping process for consumers. Because planning and shopping are of great importance to the overall trip experience, Travelocity offers its members tools to make the early stages of planning even easier through:

• Good Day to Buy
• Personalized Homepage Promos
• Real Deals
• Low Fare Alerts