NEEDHAM, Mass., July 12, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TripAdvisor^® today announced the launch of a new airline reviews platform, as well as a newly redesigned flights search service and beta launch of its "flyscore" that rates the quality of each air travel itinerary for consumers. The new enhancements to the site bring transparency to a marketplace that has become increasingly difficult for consumers to make direct comparisons between flight options.

With the launch of the new airline reviews platform, which will include all major airlines globally, TripAdvisor expands its massive base of 350 million traveler reviews and opinions. 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. 

According to a recent TripAdvisor survey¹, 42 percent of U.S. travelers believe airlines are making it harder to find the total cost of a flight. The same survey found that 39 percent of consumers also believe airlines' in-flight amenities information is not very accessible. Airline reviews from the millions of flyers on TripAdvisor will better communicate the total value of a flight beyond the price.

"The time has come for a better way to research, compare and shop for flights. TripAdvisor is excited to innovate and lead with the launch of airline reviews in 48 markets and 29 languages. Additionally, we've introduced a set of new features within our search experience to help consumers better understand the true value of air travel beyond price," said Bryan Saltzburg, senior vice president and general manager, global flights business. "Over the years, the in-flight experience has changed dramatically — in some ways for the better, in some ways for the worse. We know our users tell us it is not always easy for travelers to find the best options by just looking at the baseline price of a flight. We're uniquely solving that problem by surfacing candid traveler reviews and photos, detailed amenities information and tools to find the lowest fares all on one site empowering flyers to pick the best itinerary for their trip."

New TripAdvisor Flights Features
In February 2014, TripAdvisor became the first to feature comprehensive in-flight insights, amenities information and candid traveler photos coupled with the ability to scan for the lowest prices for airlines globally. Now TripAdvisor is expanding on these advances with the following new features:

• Airline Reviews Platform — Gives travelers a platform to share their candid feedback — both good and bad — about all major airlines around the globe.
   
• Flyscore (beta) —  Helps demystify the flight shopping experience by displaying a 1-10 out of 10 score for individual flights based on the power of qualitative traveler reviews, the quality of the aircraft, in-flight amenities and the duration of the itinerary. The score helps travelers quickly scan for the best flight options before booking.
   
• Enhanced Amenities — Showcases even more comprehensive information about in-flight amenities, such as power ports and the type of in-flight Wi-Fi available to flyers.

Additional enhancements to flight search are expected to follow later this year.

Major Carriers Embrace Traveler Reviews
Many airlines around the world have embraced TripAdvisor's launch of airline reviews. Carriers such as Air Canada, WestJet, AeroMexico, Aer Lingus, Aeroflot, Air New Zealand, ANA, China Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Virgin Australia, WOW Air, HK Express, Cebu Pacific, THAI Smile and Transavia will encourage flyers to share their candid feedback in collaboration with TripAdvisor. While travelers can review any airline they have flown, these brands are making a concerted effort to proactively engage with their customers and collect their honest feedback. All reviews submitted by travelers are subject to TripAdvisor's review submission guidelines.

Starting today, TripAdvisor airline reviews and its new Flights search are available globally and may be found here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/CheapFlightsHome

¹TripAdvsior survey of 3,071 U.S. consumers, April 2016

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor^® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travelers to plan and book the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers advice from millions of travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools that check hundreds of websites to find the best hotel prices. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching 340 million unique monthly visitors**, and 350 million reviews and opinions covering 6.5 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 48 markets worldwide.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP), through its subsidiaries, manages and operates websites under 24 other travel media brands:
www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.thefork.com (including www.lafourchette.com, www.eltenedor.com, www.iens.nl, www.besttables.com and www.dimmi.com.au), www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.housetrip.com,  www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.tripbod.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com, www.viator.com, and www.virtualtourist.com.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, February 2016
**Source: TripAdvisor log files, Q1 2016

CONTACT:
Kevin Carter
(781) 800-5237
kcarter@tripadvisor.com