Microsoft acquires travel site Farecast
BetaNews | at | by Mike
After having exited the travel business once before by spinning off Expedia, the Redmond company appears to stepping back in by scooping up a Washington-based startup.Farecast is not exactly like Expedia, or other travel sites for that matter. Instead it essentially provides forecasts of whether fares would rise or fall on a specific route. From there, it provides a recommendation of whether to buy the ticket now or wait.
Microsoft had already been working with the site, having signed a partnership last summer to provide its fare forecasting data on MSN Travel. Although neither side is disclosing how much the deal was worth, it is estimated to be in the neighborhood of $115 million.