FareCast = "He Gone"

Way back in December, when SideStep got taken out by Kayak - FMV posed this nugget of wisdom:

It’ll also be interesting to see what happens now with FareCast and Mobissimo.

Well, it looks like our crystal ball rocks because FareCast just got purchased for $75 million - but here's the wierd part - Buyer unknown:

"Farecast has been sold in a deal that values the Seattle online travel search startup at more than $75 million, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. The buyer was not known and Farecast Chief Executive Hugh Crean declined to comment. "

The rumor getting the most play is that Expedia ponied up the cash to purchase the local site - but to FMV, this seems like an expensive proposition for a million visitors or so a month. Also - doesn't seem like their fare prediction algorithim would mesh for the largest OTA on the block.

Who else then? The only other name we can think of would be MSN - simply because they already have a relationship, they are local, they are always looking for unique content to drive their travel site, and who knows how long they will keep their expedia relationship. It'll be interesting to find out...

But otherwise - congrats to the Farecast crew, not a bad run to clear $50 million or so! Drinks on you guys if we ever meet. Not the kind with cream and sugar. Only so we can stay clear of the Starbucks vs. DD dilemma, of course.