This has been a big year for FareCompare, but we couldn’t have done it without you. You took advantage of our Free Airfare Email Alerts, discovered how good they are, and spread the word. And I like to think we helped you in turn, by finding you the best of the cheap airfare sales, day-in and day-out. But let me tell you how we’ve grown over the year (and this will include stories about our Top 10 Lists, ABC’s “20/20″ show, some weird myth-busting, and even Playboy).

FareCompare.com 2007 - Crazy Start, Fun Finish

My dream of finding everyone the cheapest available airfare on our own website actually became reality in 2006, when FareCompare.com debuted on the internet.

The site was somewhat crude, and not very sophisticated, but it was a start. And in 2007, we got better.

The Website - Prettier, Smarter

Newcomers don’t know how drab FareCompare.com used to be; but veterans will remember!

Over the past several months, we’ve added color, photos, and a dash of “professionalism” without losing our focus: getting you the best deals possible.

And we added some exciting innovations, like our signature Free Airfare Email Alerts that let you know when the cheapest airfares are available to the cities you want to travel to [Editor’s note: I was skeptical, but the Email Alerts work; they got my kid home from college at Christmas, round-trip, cross-country for under $200!].

We’ve also added My Trips, which is really cool: it lets you control every aspect of any trip you want to take, right down to the specific price you want to pay.

Our Blogs - RickSeaney (Smart & Savvy) and StandardUprightPosition (Fun)

After getting FareCompare up and running, we started a couple of blogs: RickSeaney.com is our main blog, written by yours truly. I like to think of RS as a place where you can find great travel tips (yes, once in awhile, airlines make mistakes and you can get airfares for $0), great myth-busting info (no, that agitated passenger seated next to you cannot open the airplane’s door in flight), and, what I call “geek” information ( for example, how, when and why airlines change their schedules).

Then there’s StandardUprightPosition or SUP (as we call it); this blog tells you about mini-skirted passengers that go on to pose for Playboy, and what the City Fathers of Sioux City, Iowa are doing about their airport’s code name, SUX (this’ll surprise you).

And both blogs always have plenty of Top 10 Lists.

Plus, the blogs are updated daily (sometimes, several times a day).

Our Newsletter - Real Advantages for Subscribers

Our newsletter has taken on a new (and better, we think) look; plus, now we’re offering some “hand-picked” special deals “for subscribers only.”

How to become a subscriber? Easy. Just sign up for our Email Alerts or My Trips (and it’s really easy now, as these two programs have merged); sign up and you are now part of the FareCompare elite (and by the way, it’s free).

New! Insider Info Section - Tips and Tricks and Lots More

This is something I hope you will get to know better and better in the upcoming months: our “Insider Section.” It will tell you all about “off-the-beaten-path” destinations (we’re adding to destinations as I write this), as well as strategies for traveling with families (and at FareCompare, families include our dogs and cats!). There is also a section where we’ve gathered our very best travel tips, and much, much more.

My personal favorite? The “Ask Rick” section: this is where I answer all your airfare questions. Well, of course, I can’t answer them all (there are just too many), but I try to answer the ones most people are interested in. And your questions are great. Keep em coming!

In the coming months, we’ll showcase our best “Insider Info” stories with “Editor’s Picks” and more, so please, keep checking back.

Okay, We’re Blushing but We’ve Been Honored

We were named by Travel + Leisure magazine as one of their “Top 25 Travel Websites”. And, the wise and wonderful travel expert Christopher Elliott named us as one of the “Most Influential Travel Bloggers” of the year.

Plus, we were featured on the “CBS Evening News” and ABC’s “20/20″ program; it doesn’t get much better than that.

Grumpy Santa: What a Trip

We are still bringing in video from Grumpy Santa’s marathon trip (you “regulars” will know all about our plan to send our colleague on a12-day trip to all 48-states, partly to see if it could be done).

Well, our Santa was a trouper, and sometimes endured 7-flights in a single day (that’s 7-flights to 7-states!) but there wasn’t much we could do in the face of incredible blizzards…) so we only got to 41-states. Still, it was fun, and we have the video to prove it. A great way to end the year.

2008: Thanks to YOU, It’s Going to be a GREAT New Year

Stayed tuned. At FareCompare, you will always find the cheapest airfare, guaranteed. But we will also offer you the best travel tips, plus all the news and information you want, and need.

And Happy New Year! I hope all your travels in this coming year are wonderful!