Talk to Me: First Voice-Activated Flight Search App Unveiled
By: Darren Booth 
As voice-recognition technology including Apple's Siri software advances, one online travel agency has released the first-ever iPhone and iPad app that allows users to search for flights by speaking their request, instead of typing it out.
CheapAir.com released its new mobile app Tuesday featuring a voice-activated flight search function. The talk-to-search app can be used on several devices including the iPhone 4S and iPad 3. The app is available free from Apple's app store.
(Read more: Can You Trust Online Travel Search Results?)
Users of the app can still type their search parameters in, but the new functionality translates spoken words into a travel query for flight results.
The app uses semantic language technology that was first developed by CheapAir.com for its Easy Search free-form website search, which allows users to search for flights by typing out their request conversationally in a single field instead of adding each search parameter—cities, dates and number of travelers—in a unique form.
App results display flight options along with amenity information, such as whether or not Wi-Fi is available or if the flight offers personal video monitors or live TV. (Read more: In-Flight Entertainment: What You Get on Each Airline)
"We know that more and more travelers want to research flight options with their phones," said Jeff Klee, CheapAir.com's chief executive, in a prepared statement. "We want to make it easy to check flights while out with friends, walking to the subway, or wherever our customers are."
For more information on the app and its functionality, click here.
