--- title: "Online Travel: New Flight-Finding Options" id: "25784" type: "post" slug: "online-travel-new-flight-finding-options" published_at: "2014-10-28T18:53:30+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T12:58:15+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/10/28/online-travel-new-flight-finding-options/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/10/28/online-travel-new-flight-finding-options.md" excerpt: "Expedia and Priceline getting long in the tooth? Check out new online travel options that might be worth your time. Also: Taylor Swift is better at marketing than you are, and it's OK to admit it." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "booking" - "bus travel" - "flights" - "Meetings" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "For-Profit CEO / President / Owner / Partner" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Industry Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Online Travel: New Flight-Finding Options Finding a cheap flight isn’t always easy, but there are definitely options out there. *Inc.com* has a few of those, including [a Pinterest-style booking platform (opens in a new tab)](http://www.inc.com/oscar-raymundo/pinterest-ebay-tinder-to-book-business-trip.html) and an app [that uses historic data points (opens in a new tab)](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/farescout-flight-search-airfare/id903262870?ls=1&mt=8) to suggest whether you should buy those tickets now or wait a little while. But the real talker of the bunch is [Google Flight Search (opens in a new tab)](https://www.google.com/flights/) , a service that the search giant paid a cool $700 million for by [purchasing ITA Software (opens in a new tab)](http://www.google.com/press/ita/faq.html) , the firm that supplies flight data to most of the other major online travel sites, back in 2010. Right now the service provides a number of features that give it advantages over older players such as Kayak and Travelocity, [including one (opens in a new tab)](https://www.google.com/flights/#search;f=DCA,BWI,IAD;d=2014-11-13;r=2014-11-17;mc=m) that lets you search for locations on a map by price, rather than the other way around. Ultimately, though, online travel booking is a fairly mature industry, and it requires a lot for a startup to create a winning mix. “For an emerging travel-booking site to be successful, it needs an edge that established brands like Expedia, Orbitz, and Kayak don’t have,” [explains Inc.com writer Oscar Raymundo (opens in a new tab)](http://www.inc.com/oscar-raymundo/pinterest-ebay-tinder-to-book-business-trip.html) . “So the next generation of sites are finding their niche by borrowing search and display elements from already-popular web-based businesses.” ### Taylor Swift, Marketing Pro **In case you haven’t heard,** there’s a supernova running through the music world this week, and it’s in the form of Taylor Swift. The 24-year-old songstress is releasing her first straight pop album this week, and *1989* is likely to have the largest single week of sales for the entire year on the Billboard charts. (Makes [the backlash](http://associationsnow.com/2014/07/albums-future-taylor-swift-riaa-see-eye-eye/) against her optimistic take on the music industry seem less than justified, doesn’t it?) Because *Associations Now* is clearly your number-one source for Taylor Swift-related news, here are some worthy marketing insights about the pop-country superstar: **Swift has been clever** about brand partnerships with companies such as Coca-Cola and Target, [according to Forbes (opens in a new tab)](http://www.forbes.com/sites/robschwartz/2014/10/21/a-master-class-in-marketing-taught-by-taylor-swift/) , earning her extra attention before a big push. **Swift’s use of intimate events**—so-called secret sessions with her Instagram, Tumblr, and Twitter fans—proved a boon in [making the already engaged even more engaged (opens in a new tab)](http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-taylor-swift-1989-secret-sessions-fans-20141028-story.html#page=1) . **There’s another country star** who’s pulled off many of the moves that Swift has in the past. But unlike Garth Brooks’ attempt to cross over to into pop, Swift’s transition appears to be working. [Vox explains the connections between the artists (opens in a new tab)](http://www.vox.com/2014/10/27/7047535/1989-taylor-swift-album-country-pop-garth-brooks) and the public. ### Other notable Links **If you’re working on the fly** and need a slick photo editor, check out Polarr, [a browser-based Adobe Lightroom competitor (opens in a new tab)](https://www.polarr.co/) that allows users to export into all the cloud services they know and love. ***“Don’t wring your hands** over the problem of retaining quality employees. Many will leave no matter what you do.”* Association Executive Management’s David M. Patt [talks about a fact of life (opens in a new tab)](http://aem-patt.com/aem-blog/index.php?itemid=1902) . **Slow down, you move too fast.** You have to make the moment last. At least [that’s what Event Manager Blog suggests (opens in a new tab)](http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/slow-events) for your next big occasion. (Zoonar/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#booking](https://associationsnow.com/tag/booking/) [#bus travel](https://associationsnow.com/tag/bus-travel/) [#flights](https://associationsnow.com/tag/flights/) [#Meetings](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meetings/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoUrban Land Institute- Project Recovery: Rebuilding Los Angeles After the January 2025 WildfiresSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/urban-land-institute-project-recovery-rebuilding-los-angeles-after-the-january-2025-wildfires/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: All for the Love of Chicago: Rethinking the Destination ExperienceSeptember 10, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/10/associations-now-presents-all-for-the-love-of-chicago-rethinking-the-destination-experience/) - [VideoExploring New Frontiers: Leadership, Resilience and the Future of SpaceflightAugust 27, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/27/exploring-new-frontiers-leadership-resilience-and-the-future-of-spaceflight/) - [VideoCharlene Lopez Shares Her Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/charlene-lopez-shares-her-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2014%2F10%2F28%2Fonline-travel-new-flight-finding-options%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !