Do you want to know if a flight you are considering is loaded up with Wi-Fi, personal video monitors, live TV or movies?
CheapAir, a California-based online travel agency, began placing icons next to flight choices to document which flights have these in-flight entertainment amenities -- and which flights don't.
The feature works for both domestic US and international flights.
If you search for a Las Vegas-San Francisco flight Feb. 14 to Feb. 21, for instance, CheapAir shows you that numerous Virgin America flights come with Wi-Fi, movies on-demand and live TV.
That Virgin America flights max out on in-flight entertainment options won't shock its regular passengers because the airline is known for these features.
CheapAir's new features come in more handy for airlines where some flights have Wi-Fi or movies and others don't.
For example, in the following image you'll see some US Airways flights from Las Vegas to Atlanta come with Wi-Fi and others don't. Similarly, some Frontier flights have live TV and others are blacked out.
You'll also observe a star icon next to Air Tran flight 773. CheapAir designates that flight as its Top Pick "based on price, total travel time, on-time percentage, airline ratings, comfort and on-board amenities."
It's all part of a CheapAir effort to make flight search more transparent.
And, with its Top Picks, CheapAir is taking a page from Hipmunk's Agony Index, although CheapAir is handling it in a different way.
“Often, there are many flights that are roughly the same price, but there might be a huge difference in the onboard product,” says Jeff Klee, CEO of CheapAir.com. “In the past, travelers would have to do serious research to find out all these details, which can be incredibly frustrating and time consuming. But, now we’ve made it easy to compare in-flight amenities by having all the information in one place.”