Airport Adds Low Fare Tracking Service to its Website

August 28, 2008
Airport: Sharyn Wisniewski (608) 661-6485 Airfare Watchdog: George Hobica (212) 203-2736
Airport

MADISON WI – August 28, 2008 – “Despite high jet fuel costs, good deals flying out of Dane County Regional Airport (DCRA) are still available,” Airport Director Bradley S. Livingston, AAE, said today. The airport’s website, www.msnairport.com, has added an Airfarewatchdog.com “widget” to its home page, that tracks fares out of DCRA and reports low fare opportunities. Airfarewatchdog.com is a free, low airfare listing and alert site. It is different from a fare search engine, such as Travelocity or Orbitz, in that the site has already done the searching for users and simply lists “cherry picked” low fares that the search has generated. “The site’s mission is to monitor airfares, which can change up to three times a day,” says George Hobica, who created the site and maintains a team of fare analysts to produce the listings. The unique site, that uses people rather than computer programs to find and list low fares, has been hailed as a “best source” for airfares by The Washington Post, the New York Times, USA Today, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Fodors.com, and a number of other travel news sources. “Travelers need to be flexible to take advantage of the fares,” said Sharyn Wisniewski, airport marketing and communications manager, “but there are good deals to be had.” She advised checking the “flexible dates” option rather than putting in a firm date to take advantage of the site. The site notes that some fares sell out fast, so may not be available for long. The service is free to the airport. Advertisers on the connecting pages pay for the service. A number of airports around the nation use the service. The “widget” is on the front page of the airport’s website at www.msnairport.com. Fares scroll in a window. “When you see a fare and destination you like, just click on it,” said Wisniewski. “You will be sent to a page with details about the flight and directions for booking.” # # # See attached sheet for quotes about Airfarewatchdog.com from travel writers. News from airfarewatchdog.com Contact: George Hobica george@airfarewatchdog.com 212-586-2680 Airfarewatchdog.com in the News “The source for dirt-cheap airfares” --Fodors.com [italics theirs] A “World’s Best Value” 2006 --Travel Leisure One of “25 Best Travel Sites” --Kiplinger’s Personal Finance “A top ten travel site” --The Washington Post “An uncanny ability to rummage through the rat’s nest of airline fare structures and promotions and find the most obscure unadvertised cheap fares.” --Joe Sharkey, The New York Times “My new favorite web site. This guy [George Hobica] has no life.” --Peter Greenberg, NBC Today Show “One of the top Internet sites used by airfare bargain hunters” --Ben Mutzabaugh, USA Today “They scour [the internet] for these deals. Personally, I would go bananas.” --Airfare expert Terry Trippler, quoted in Newark Star Ledger