Helping Travelers Land in the Perfect Seat, Seat Tracker Arrives on TripIt Pro

Avoid being stuck in the middle seat – receive alerts when preferred seats become available

 TripIt, the leading mobile trip organizer from Concur (Nasdaq: CNQR), now features Seat Tracker, which alerts travelers when a better seat may be available on their flight. With Seat Tracker, flyers can define their preferred seats and be the first to know when the seat they want can be claimed.

A new feature of TripIt Pro, Seat Tracker aids business travelers, frequent jetsetters and vacationing families alike, enabling flyers to set and monitor their preferred seats:

• Pick window, aisle or either
• Specify front or back of cabin
• Track the exit row or bulkhead
• Find seats together, in groups as large as four
• Choose economy, premium economy, business or first class

Because TripIt already pases airline confirmations to create an all-in-one travel itinerary, implementing Seat Tracker requires minimal user effort. Travelers simply share their seat preferences, and TripIt Pro continuously tracks seat reservations on applicable flights. If a more desirable seat comes available, TripIt sends a push, text or email alert with instructions on how to contact the airline or booking agent to claim that seat.

"We've all had those traumatic, squeezed-in, no-recline middle-seat experiences while flying," said Edith Harbaugh, director of product management for TripIt. "Seat Tracker, as with all our TripIt Pro trackers, is all about giving travelers the power of knowledge. We'll alert you when a better seat becomes available, meaning you can snag it before anyone else on your flight. Being more comfortable when you travel – whether that means having more legroom or a seat with a view – gets us one step closer to achieving 'The Perfect Trip.'"

To track seats, users must be members of TripIt Pro ($49/year), which also provides features including check-in reminders, trip organization, point tracking, fare tracking, gate change notifications, cancellation and delay alerts, and alternate flight information.

Seat Tracker is currently available via web, with mobile offerings arriving in the coming weeks. Visit www.tripit.com/seattracker to learn more about Seat Tracker, try TripIt Pro, and set seat preferences for upcoming trips.

Free Seat Alerts Now Available To All Travelers Worldwide Via www. ExpertFlyer.com

This appears to be a very useful tool to gain access to better airline flight seating. If you try it please report back to this blog with your results.

 ExpertFlyer.com^® announced today that its award-winning Seat Alerts^® feature will now be available free to any traveler interested in changing their middle seat to a window or aisle seat.  Available exclusively through ExpertFlyer, Seat Alerts will also allow travelers to set an alert on a flight that is completely booked and will alert them via text or email if a seat becomes available on that flight.  ExpertFlyer's Seat Alerts feature currently monitors more than 120 airline carriers worldwide.

A free Seat Alerts account can be created at ExpertFlyer.com and will allow travelers to maintain one active Seat Alert at a time.  Once a Seat Alert has found a better seat or the flight has departed, a new Seat Alert can be created.  This is ideal for casual travelers who only have one flight where they may be stuck in a bad seat at any given time.  Additional active alerts can be purchased for $.99 and paid subscribers to ExpertFlyer will be able to set several alerts at one time at no additional cost.

"Seat Alerts is the fastest and easiest way for travelers to get out of the dreaded middle seat or even find a seat on a flight that is completely booked," explains Chris Lopinto, president and co-founder of ExpertFlyer.com.  "Seat Alerts is a unique feature not offered anywhere else and wanted travelers at all levels to experience a more enjoyable flight whenever possible."