Kayak (styled as KAYAK) is a metasearch engine for travel services, including airline flights, hotels, rental cars, and vacation packages.[3] It is owned and operated by Booking Holdings.[4]
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Type of site | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Available in | 18 languages |
| Founded | January 14, 2004 |
| Headquarters | Stamford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Area served | Global |
| Founder(s) | Steve Hafner Paul M. English |
| Key people | Steve Hafner (CEO) Ko Baryiames (CTO) Amy Wei (CCO) Peer Bueller (CFO) Tore Pein Jensen (CMO) |
| Industry | Travel Technology |
| Products | Travel agency Metasearch engine |
| Revenue | US$292.7 million (2012)[1] |
| Parent | Booking Holdings |
| Subsidiaries | SWOODOO Checkfelix Mundi Hotels Combined |
| URL | www |
| Launched | February 7, 2005 (Public)[2] |
| Native client(s) on | iOS, Android, watchOS, Amazon Alexa, Facebook Messenger |
Kayak's website and mobile apps are currently available in about 20 languages and 30 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, India, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Russia,[5] Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Australia, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Belgium, Korea, Japan, and Singapore.
History
editKayak was founded in January 2004 by Steve Hafner and Paul M. English.[6][7] Before Kayak, Steve Hafner, Kayak's current CEO, helped found Orbitz in November 1999 and led its business development, advertising sales, marketing, and product marketing activities.[8]
The company was originally named Travel Search Company, Inc. and the name was changed to Kayak Software Corporation in August 2004.[9]
The website launched in February 2005.[2]
In December 2007, Kayak raised $196 million in financing from a group of investors including General Catalyst, Sequoia Capital, Accel Partners, and Oak Investment Partners. Using that funding, Kayak acquired SideStep, another online travel agency.[10][11]
On March 5, 2010, Kayak sold certain assets related to TravelPost.[12]
In May 2010, Kayak acquired German travel search platform Swoodoo.[13]
In January 2011, Kayak shut down SideStep and redirected SideStep traffic to Kayak.com.[14]
In April 2011, Kayak acquired all of the outstanding shares of JaBo Vertrieb-und Entwicklung GmbH, or JaBo Software, operator Checkfelix, a travel search engine in Austria.[15]
On July 20, 2012, Kayak became a public company via an initial public offering. On its first day of trading, Kayak opened at $26 per share and closed at $33.18 per share.[16]
On May 21, 2013, Booking Holdings, then known as Priceline.com, acquired the company for $2.1 billion.[17]
In September 2013, Kayak announced an office move to the Harbor Point district of Stamford, aided by a $2.5 million loan from the state of Connecticut.[18]
In 2017, the company acquired Mundi, a Brazilian flight metasearch company.[19]
In 2018, Kayak assumed leadership of Hotels Combined, which was acquired by parent company, Booking Holdings.[20]
In 2024, Kayak added fares from Southwest Airlines to its listings.[21]
Awards
editIn 2013, Travel Leisure included Kayak's app in its list of the Best Apps for Business Travelers[22] as well as its list for the Best Apps for websites and travelers.[23]
Time named Kayak on its list of the 50 Best Websites of 2009.[24]
Mashable included Kayak in first place for the website's list, "10 Budget Airfare Tools Every Traveler Should Know in 2012".[25]
Kayak won the following Webby Awards:
- 2008: People's Voice award in the travel website category[26]
- 2009: The Webby Award in the travel website category[27]
- 2011: The People's Voice award in the mobile travel app category in 2011[28]
- 2012: 3 awards: both the Webby and People's Choice awards in the travel website category, and the People's Voice award in the mobile travel app category.[29]
- 2013: Nominee for Best Travel Mobile & App for Handheld Devices[30]
- 2014: both the People's Voice and Webby Award in the Travel category for Tablets.[31]
- 2015, Kayak Mobile won again the People's Voice Award in the Travel category.[32]
The World Travel Awards presented Kayak with the World's Leading Flight Comparison Website award in 2013 and the World's Leading Travel Search Website award in 2011.[33]
All-American Muslim advertising
editIn December 2011, Kayak announced that it would not renew a contract to advertise on the TLC reality television show All-American Muslim. The decision followed a campaign by the Florida Family Association, a one-man fundamentalist organization focused on “defending American values".[34][35] In a statement posted to the Kayak website, Kayak Chief Marketing Officer, Robert Birge, wrote that TLC “was not upfront with us about the nature of the show”.[36]
References
edit- ^ King, Danny (April 3, 2013). "Kayak turns 2012 profit". Travel Weekly.
- ^ a b Schaal, Dennis (January 30, 2012). "Kayak redesign: How and why they did it". Phocuswire.
- ^ Peterson, Lucas (April 18, 2017). "Which Travel Search Site Is Best? It Depends on Your Goals". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
- ^ "Kayak.com: Private Company Overview". Bloomberg L.P.
- ^ Perez, Sarah (July 20, 2012). "Kayak Is Headed To Russia". TechCrunch.
- ^ "The Billion-Dollar Travel Agent". Boston. January 9, 2018.
- ^ "The Way I Work: Paul English of Kayak". inc.com. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ Timmins, Beth; Cox, Josie (April 26, 2017). "A View from the Top: Steve Hafner, founder of travel comparison site Kayak". The Independent. London.
- ^ "Kayak Software Corporation 2012 Form 10-K Annual Report". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
- ^ Arrington, Michael (December 20, 2007). "Breaking: Kayak Raises $196 Million, Buys Rival SideStep". TechCrunch.
- ^ Luzadder, Dan (December 21, 2007). "Kayak.com, SideStep to merge in $196 million deal". Travel Weekly.
- ^ Schaal, Dennis (February 11, 2011). "Kayak has stake in TravelPost rollout". Phocuswire.
- ^ Zinnagl, Lukas (May 6, 2010). "Kayak swoops on German travel search engine Swoodoo [Updated]". TechCrunch.
- ^ Rao, Leena (May 27, 2011). "in-front-of-its-ipo-kayak-reports-growth-in-revenue-but-income-down". TechCrunch.
- ^ May, Kevin (April 5, 2011). "Kayak buys Austrian travel search engine Checkfelix". Phocuswire.
- ^ Empson, Rip (July 20, 2012). "That'll Fly: Kayak Closes IPO Day With Shares Up Nearly 30% And Market Cap Over $1.2B". Techcrunch.
- ^ "PCLN Form 10-Q". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
- ^ "Gov. Malloy: Kayak to Expand and Create 50 Jobs in Stamford" (Press release). Connecticut. September 25, 2013.
- ^ O'Neill, Sean (August 4, 2017). "Kayak Acquires Assets of Struggling Brazilian Metasearch Company Mundi". Skift.
- ^ Schaal, Dennis (July 9, 2018). "Booking Holdings Buys HotelsCombined as Kayak Expands Into Asia Pacific". Skift.
- ^ Schaal, Dennis (August 5, 2024). "Kayak Can Now Show Southwest Flights – Finally". Skift.
- ^ Brown Hunt, Katrina; Samiljan, Tom (October 14, 2013). "Best Apps for Business Travelers". Travel Leisure.
- ^ Rop, Gideon (January 8, 2015). "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Kayak.com". DPO Group. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
- ^ Fisher, Adam (August 24, 2009). "50 Best Websites 2009". Time.
- ^ "10 Budget Airfare Tools Every Traveler Should Know". Mashable. July 26, 2012.
- ^ "2008 People's Voice: KAYAK.COM". Webby Award.
- ^ "2009 Webby Award Winner: KAYAK.COM". Webby Award.
- ^ "Kayak Mobile For Iphone". Webby Award.
- ^ "We Won Three Webby Awards – Thanks to You". Kayak. May 1, 2012.
- ^ "2013 Nominee: KAYAK - MOBILE SITES & APPS". Webby Award.
- ^ "2014 People's Voice / Webby Award Winner: KAYAK Technology Team". Webby Award.
- ^ "2015 People's Voice: KAYAK - MOBILE SITES & APPS". Webby Award.
- ^ "Kayak". World Travel Awards.
- ^ Freedman, Samuel G. (December 16, 2011). "Waging a One-Man War on American Muslims". The New York Times.
- ^ Diaz, Johnny (December 14, 2011). "Kayak won't renew ads on Muslim TV show". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Elliott, Stuart (December 14, 2011). "Kayak Defends Cutting Ties to 'All-American Muslim'". The New York Times.