Yapta users download a small piece of free software, allowing them to "tag" or "bookmark" specific flight details that they locate on various travel Web sites. For example, a Yapta user who visited the Web sites of Expedia, JetBlue or Delta Air Lines would be able to save specific flight details from each with the click of a button.
That information is then saved to a separate Web page, operated by Yapta, where users can compare all flight data obtained from previous travel searches. As the prices for the individual flights change, Yapta sends e-mail alerts to users notifying them that it may be a good time to buy. It also goes a step further, telling users who have bought tickets that a refund may be available from the airline if a flight slips below the original purchase price.
Online shoppers spend hours researching flights on various Web sites, but Romary says they have no central repository in which to store the data. Yapta will try to change that by creating what he calls a "comparative shopping environment" on one centralized Web page.