Yapta Web Site For Lower Air Fares

Do you ever lose sleep over the fact that the airline ticket that you purchased for $550 might be discounted next week to $250, and nobody will ever tell you? A good counselor might help this condition, of course, but maybe you just need Yapta, a travel website based in Seattle that will celebrate its first anniversary in January. Yapta will track your flights, even after you've bought them, and send a red alert your way if the price drops, entitling you to rebook or ask for a refund.

They make a very good point that airfares fluctuate as much as 400 percent, and you're bound to get a better deal if you stay informed. When the prices drop, they're like an annoying kid whose favorite expression is, "But you said!" Taking literally most airlines' stated guarantee that you'll get the lowest fare, Yapta will track your favorite airlines and desired travel itinerary and send you an e-mail when the price drops. They'll also track your purchased flights and advise you on how to secure refunds or vouchers if the price dropped between the time you purchased and the time you fly. They claim to have found their users $10 million this year alone.

Frankly, that's $10 million that I wouldn't mind having back in my pocket. Yapta just announced that they support Firefox, as well as Internet Explorer, opening the service up to millions more users. The alternative to Yapta, of course, is to slavishly monitor airfares on your computer, working well into the night, every night, to see if you can get a better deal. And when you find one, remember those three magic words to say to the airline rep: "But you said!"