The airlines are always looking for the silver lining in adversity, and I think this is likely to be a genuine one.

It's the classic cheap-seat-seeker dilemma. Do you wait, or do you buy?

Comparison shopping is difficult enough. This just seems like a step in the wrong direction. You end up comparing apples and hamburgers.

Meta-search sites are searching in real time, but with a limited number of sites. They can't guarantee the best deal. It's a huge challenge.

That caused such turmoil in the industry. Hopefully they will start to ease. There was a lot of biting the bullet when fuel prices were so high, but 2006 does promise some light at the end of that tunnel.

Those are important in making ticket decisions. The better you do them, the more tickets you will sell.