Airfarewatchdog Debuts User Route Reviews

Our sister site, Airfarewatchdog, now allows travelers to rate and review their flights, as well as the airline they flew. Similar to TripAdvisor, the feature is designed to give consumers a chance to share their opinion, tips, and fair warnings with other readers, and gives travelers a new way to determine whether or not a good price is actually a decent value.

The functionality only launched last week, but there are already some good reviews on the Boston-to-San Francisco and Seattle-to-New York pages. As you can see, travelers can rate the check-in process, in-flight service, and seat comfort, and give an overall rating and detailed review.

Honestly, some sort of user-generated review function for the airline industry is long overdue. There are so many variables when it comes to flying—from gate locations and nearby airport amenities to plane type and size—that getting a first-hand sense of what you can expect is essential.

And just like with hotels, no one likes to be surprised. Imagine shopping around for a route you’ve never flown—Boston-to-New York, perhaps. A review like this one could save you a lot of headaches:

I fly this route a few times a year for work. While I love, love flying JetBlue (hence why I’m willing to fly into JFK!), it’s still a hike to get from JFK to the city. It’s usually an hour ride via taxi. It’s worth it to me since I love the in-flight amenities that JetBlue offers, but something other travelers should consider. If you are limited on time, BOS to LGA (or the Acela) might be a better option.

Pretty cool, in my opinion, and highly useful.

Readers, do you think flight reviews could be useful in your travel planning process? Any thoughts on how Airfarewatchdog could make this a better feature? Check out the route reviews and write your own, and leave a comment below. Thanks!