Small online travel company purchased by Yahoo!

In its quest to be the most comprehensive search engine on the Net, Yahoo has purchased New York-based FareChase in early July for an undisclosed sum.

FareChase was founded in 1999 and had 25 employees that will now relocate to Yahoo's headquarters in Sunnyvale, California.

FareChase provides tools for consumers and travel agents to find information on hotels, cars and flights.

"We're attracted to their travel expertise, and we feel that they will further our goal to create the most comprehensive and relevant travel experience on the Web," said Nicki Dugan, Yahoo spokeswoman.

She added that the acquisition of FareChase will not immediately affect Yahoo Travel, which is in an exclusive deal with Travelocity who provides the underlying tools that let Yahoo visitors search for hotels, cars and flights.