WebProNews

Online travel review site TripAdvisor has launched a new flight search engine aimed at providing travelers with information on airline ticket prices, fees for checked baggage and other services.

TripAdvisor says its search engine provides more flight choices in its search results along with direct booking links to major travel companies including Expedia, Travelocity, Hotwire, and nearly every U.S. airline.

"TripAdvisor is the most popular travel community today because we've always believed that travelers are smart-they just need honest, unbiased information in order to make the right decisions for themselves," said Steve Kaufer, CEO of TripAdvisor.

"We've provided this model for years for hotels, attractions and restaurants-now it's time to bring this same philosophy to revolutionize flight search."

TripAdvisors entry into the meta-search category puts it in competition with Microsoft's Farecast, Yahoo's FareChase and Kayak.com.

Hoping to set itself apart from the rest of the pack TripAdvisor has introduced a Fees Estimator tool. By clicking on the Fees Estimator button travelers will be able to view the true cost of  a domestic flight, providing details on ticket prices, fees for checked luggage and any other fees.

"It's easy to rack up hundreds of dollars in extra charges for a single trip. said Bryan Saltzburg, general manager of new initiatives at TripAdvisor and head of the new flight search engine.

"TripAdvisor's Fees Estimator reveals the differences during the planning process, so there are no surprises at check-in."