LLC.NET Business Profile: SuperFly

The Following is part of a series of business profiles selected by LLC.NET.

Finding great values in airfare became easy when Superfly, a new flight-search startup, opened its doors. Based in Israel, the company helps seal its host country’s reputation as a hotbed of innovation. Superfly took off when travelers go wind of its personalized search techniques. The search engine automatically calculates potential benefits users can gain from using their frequent flier miles and rewards points, so they can travel using the best value fares, rather than the cheapest. The company made its splash at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in 2010 and hasn’t slowed since.

Superfly has significantly expanded since its inception, now offering stiff competition to established travel websites like Kayak and Google Flight. After starting as a personalized search engine, Superfly now allows users to book flights, hotels and car rentals without leaving the site. The approach the site uses is unique because it uses the frequent flier and reward data users entered into their user profile to help them book their flights. By providing personalized recommendations to travelers, Superfly has achieved notoriety in the travel-search world.

After registering for an account, users are asked to select the airlines, hotels and car rental companies they use. They then enter their rewards plan numbers and passwords to allow Superfly to automatically enter their information. After importing the data from all the plans, users can look for flights. The search results include potential savings from rewards programs, so travelers get more choices than they do from other flight-search sites.

Every time a traveler logs into his or her account, the site displays an overview of miles earned, money spent, preferences and other statistics. Other travel websites rely on searches based on time, price and airline. Superfly differentiates its services by personalizing the travel-search experience by listing flights with the best value.

Superfly recognizes that the cheapest flight isn’t always the best for travelers who use rewards programs. When rewards and personal preferences come into play, more expensive flights could make more sense than cheap ones, so Superfly searches can be more valuable than those performed elsewhere.

As the site continues to develop, users will experience even more targeted recommendations. For example, when searching for hotels, the website will tell users where members of their rewards plans like to stay when traveling to the same destination. By trusting the choices of similar travelers, Superfly users can avoid the uncomfortable experiences often associated with reserving the cheapest room available. Virtual lounges are other features destined to become part of the Superfly website. There, users can participate in communities that discuss the airlines and hotels they frequent.

Many search engines on the Internet already deliver flight search capabilities, but Superfly is the first to emulate a full-service travel agent. By establishing itself as the first online travel portal that offers personalized recommendations, Superfly hopes to continue its explosive growth.