New flight review app inspired by will.i.am tweet launches

FareUpThere claims to be the world’s first app of its kind. It allows passengers to post reviews instantly while giving airlines “Facebook grade” information on customer satisfaction levels.

The app’s founder Malcolm Woods was inspired by an in-flight tweet from Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am, who complained live about allegedly racist treatment he received on a flight in Australia.

Woods said this made him realise there needed to be a more transparent way of reviewing flights “than on the battlegrounds of Twitter”.

“I was amazed that there was no dedicated home for flight reviews, certainly not one that looked to really connect airlines with their passengers, so I decided to build my own,” he said.

FareUpThere gives points per review redeemable for gift cards, with reviews authenticated via the uploading of a boarding pass. The app is also a booking tool for airlines, with sales made using it qualifying for extra points.

Woods added: “Travel was not in my blood, my family is from a modest background and very few of them have even left Texas. I didn’t leave the USA until I was 26.

“My family has been the inspiration behind the development of FareUpThere; what would drive them to download a flight review app? I knew that the collective wisdom of thousands of reviews would give them the peace of mind needed to make a booking, and that the rewards would drive them to share their own experiences.”

Woods is now seeking funding to grow beyond the UK and North America. He plans to launch in mainland Europe in 2022.

Woods has also launched FareUpThere Pulse, giving airlines access to passenger data and feedback, either from their own customers or those of their competitors.

He said this meant airlines could pinpoint search criteria by career, height, age, income and more.

“Pulse will allow airlines to target customers with questions about their experience, enhancing, or even replacing, their existing customer feedback loop,” he said.