Search engine uses a dozen criteria

A new web site called InsideTrip (www.insidetrip.com) attempts to rate individual airline flights based on a dozen different criteria, giving users an overall quality score for the experience they’re likely to encounter. The brainchild of a former executive at Farecast.com, the site awards its scores from a proprietary database that consolidates all kinds of statistical information, including: aircraft type; legroom on the aircraft designated for the flight in question; likely security wait time at the departure airport; aircraft age; on-time performance; connection time; number of stops; duration of the flight; directness of the itinerary; lost luggage likelihood; convenience of gate locations and connections; and historical load factor. Users have the option of selecting only those criteria that matter most to them, and obtaining a quality rating based only on that data. The site is free to use; the company said it expects to make money through a reservations tie-in with Orbitz.com for users who choose to book through the site.