About Rick Seaney, CEO FareCompare

Rick Seaney

Rick Seaney, co-founder of FareCompare.com - is a world-class air travel expert.

FareCompare.com presides over a kingdom of sophisticated software that searches out fares and destinations at a billion combinations per query - while keeping track of 500 airlines serving more than 270,000 markets around the globe.

And all of Rick's data is updated continuously - in real-time.

No wonder he's the media's go-to guy for all things air travel. He's got the answers. And he loves to share his knowledge.

That's why Rick and the team created FareCompare.com - to help everyone become an air travel expert, and get the best deals first -- every time they fly.

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Six Reasons to Hop on a Plane this Summer

June 10, 2010 | Posted in: Airfare Sales, Airline Fees, Bags, DOT, Passengers | 0 comments

six reasons plane summer

Attention would-be vacationers: go ahead, find that cheap airfare and get on a plane.

There are good reasons to do so.

I found six, and you may know more; mine include better passenger protections, lower airline fees and occasionally free pizza.

And that reminds me – I’ll save a slice for that alert TSA screener at the Indianapolis airport security line, too.

Latest Trend for Cheap Flights: Airfare Sale Extensions

March 30, 2010 | Posted in: Airfare Sales, American, Delta, Pricing Activity, Virgin America | 2 comments

trend cheap flights airfare sale extensions

This week, we’re seeing something a little bit different in the course of airfare sales: instead of an airline inaugurating a brand new sale with accompanying media splash, a number of them are very quietly simply extending existing sales.

For example: American had a great U.S. cities sale that was supposed to have expired last week – now, it’s been extended through April 1.

Virgin America has extended its sale, not once but twice – and now you can take advantage of their specials that begin at $49+ one-way through April 5.

We’re seeing the same thing with Delta’s very good prices to Europe for travel in April, May and June (I only wish these fares were good for later in the summer, as well) – the sales been extended through April 5.

Be sure to keep up with our Deals Blog – and we’ll keep you up on these latest trends.

Analysis: Some Price Firming Seen in Domestic Airline Tickets

March 12, 2010 | Posted in: Airfare Sales, Airlines, Peak Travel Day Surcharge, Pricing Activity | 0 comments

prices domestic airline tickets analysis

Earlier this week, we saw some significant airfare hiking activity from U.S. domestic airlines: United Airlines, for example, initiated a $40 roundtrip hike in a small number of markets (but mainly in Chicago); that hike, however, is currently falling apart, although it was matched by American Airlines.

In a separate move, United began a laddered hike of $2 to $10 roundtrip, on routes flown by low-cost carriers. This hike is based on mileage: the $2 roundtrip hike was applied to routes under 500 miles; $6 roundtrip hike on routes between 500 and 1,000 miles; and $10 roundtrip hike on routes over 1,000 miles. So far these hikes have been matched by all major airlines, including Southwest Airlines.

It’s also clear that it is important to the airlines to keep sales momentum going for domestic tickets by filling some early summer seats at discount prices except on peak days (and note that “peak travel day” surcharges are in play this summer and please see the surcharge charge for more details), and to that end we saw a 3-day sale from AirTran which included flights through the summer travel period and beyond; this sale, now expired, was widely matched by other carriers.

An Open Letter to Griping Pundits

January 11, 2010 | Posted in: Airfare Increases, Airfare Sales, Airlines, Pricing Activity | 4 comments

open letter griping pundits

To George Hobica,

Let me vent a little since you are too shy to call us out by name in your latest blog post — http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/blog/4097371/enough-already-with-news-reports-about-those-10-fare-hikes/ — after all, we are the ones breaking these news stories you are evidently not fond of (and, yes, you can say FareCompare on your blog, we don’t mind).

First, you call on journalists to dig deeper – might I suggest as a journalist you should also dig a bit deeper (maybe with a shovel instead of a spoon next time).

Let me enlighten you on the facts:

In 2009 there were 4 successful airfare hikes (all since June and include the one by United you mention at the end of 2009).

Domestic airfare prices were in free fall from November 2008 to May 2009 where they hit a decade-long bottom.

By contrast, there were 15 successful airfare hikes in the first 3 quarters of 2008 (subsequently prices were higher regardless of whose calculator you use), as oil prices were at century highs and airlines struggled to survive as their operating cost for fuel doubled.

You conveniently cherry pick an example of Denver to the West Coast; what you failed to mention is that Southwest stepped into the Denver market during that time frame and added dozens of flights a day in direct competition with United and Frontier which drove down the price on those limited routes — your example doesn’t even remotely reflect 99.9% of the rest of the country…

You follow that up with more misrepresentation by stating the scope of these hikes was not quantified.

On our airfare hike release of 31-Dec, which reported on the mostly $6 roundtrip hikes — with some $10 roundtrip increases — we noted the following: A) the hikes were not placed on winter sale fares for travel thru early March and, B) were not applicable on most low cost airline routes as they hadn’t matched and legacy airlines spared those routes.

These airfare hike releases were intended for the financial markets who want to know air travel pricing trends; consumers can also benefit from understanding trends as most wonder why they get wildly different prices every time they get a quote for their trip.

I could go on but I think you get my point.

Rick Seaney

CEO, FareCompare.com

Airfare Shopper Alert: Surcharge Chart Makes it Easy to Save

January 7, 2010 | Posted in: Airfare Increases, Airfare Sales, Peak Travel Day Surcharge, Pricing Activity | 0 comments

airfare shopper alert surcharge chart makes saving money easy

Maybe you saw this video — journalists picked up on my reporting about a new round of airfare hikes that rang in the new year.

Don’t worry, the hikes won’t affect the current crop of great sales, and they’re not large hikes, but face it: every little bit we can save helps. And that’s why I created the Holiday Travel Surcharge Chart.

This Holiday Travel Surcharge Chart shows you which airlines have added “special surcharges” to which dates. We use the term “holiday” because it began with airlines targeting dates around Thanksgiving and Christmas, and in 2010 surcharges have been added to dates around Valentine’s Day, Memorial Day — plus popular travel days in March for spring break, and popular summer vacation travel dates.

Our chart helps you avoid surcharges. Check it out — before you book your next flight.


Airfare Wars and Pizza Wars: Cheap Flights & Cheap Pies

January 5, 2010 | Posted in: Airfare Sales, Airlines, Cheap Airfare Sales | 0 comments

airfare wars pizza wars cheap flights

Yes, it’s war! And it’s a win-win for consumers.

First of, have you seen all the airfare sales out there? Take your pick: American, Frontier, JetBlue, Midwest, Virgin America — and United’s previously announced sales.

You can find flights to Vegas starting at just $39+ one-way as well as money-saving flights to the Caribbean. You must visit our Deals Blog — and often — that’s where we showcase all the sales.

Kind of reminds me of what’s happening on the pizza front — Papa John’s and Pizza Hut are warring on the airwaves, touting their cheap specialty pies. But I don’t think they’re slashing prices quite as much as the airlines are.

To find the best deals of all, for flights, you’ve come to the right place. FareCompare.

Week of Winter Airfare Sales

December 30, 2009 | Posted in: Airfare Sales | 0 comments

winter airfare sales
It’s been a good week for winter airfare sales.

Southwest Airlines kicked off deals as low as $59+ one-way, and several carriers quickly matched. Midwest Airlines is offering great deals for Milwaukee travelers, and United Airlines has been busy, launching an international sale and a substantial winter domestic airfare sale that also brought on the matching. I broke down the United sale in my United Domestic Winter Sale City Rundown. Take a look to get an idea of which cities are seeing the biggest price drops.

The post-Christmas week has offered some gifts for air travelers. Visit our Deals Blog for a look at all the recent winter airfare sales.

In This Economy, the Airlines Won’t be Undersold

December 4, 2009 | Posted in: Airfare Increases, Airfare Sales, Pricing Activity | 0 comments

Remember Crazy Eddie whose prices were insane? That’s one guy who would never be undersold.

And the airlines seem to be adopting the same philosophy in the current economic climate.

For example, we are now seeing several good airfare sales, many for travel now through March – and essentially what the carriers are doing is, matching the competition’s prices. They will not be undersold.

No surprise, really – airlines are often “followers” – certainly, we’ve seen this matching activity when it comes to airfare hikes.

So for the time being, carriers strive to match prices with competitors who cover the same routes, and thanks to this “discounting”- it’s the consumer who comes up the winner.

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