Founded in 1996, Cheapflights is a leading metasearch and travel deals publishing platform dedicated to taking the complexity out of finding the best value flights through the application of innovative, intuitive technologies: Smart search. Made simple.
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Travo@10: Cheapflights
Q&A with Andrew Shelton, managing director of Cheapflights
Founded in 1996, Cheapflights is a leading metasearch and travel deals publishing platform dedicated to taking the complexity out of finding the best value flights through the application of innovative, intuitive technologies: Smart search. Made simple.
It is now a market leader in the UK, US, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand generating over £2 billion in global downstream revenue for its partners. Over 120 million users visit its websites and apps each year, receiving more than two billion search results a month from across 900,000 routes.
The 10 million strong opt-in subscribers to the Cheapflights newsletter received over 1.25 billion targeted emails during 2015, offering the best deals from hundreds of travel businesses – for whom it has driven more than £40 million in revenue this year.
Together, the Cheapflights platforms generate enough bookings for its partners to fill a Boeing 747 every five minutes.
In 2011, Cheapflights became part of the privately owned online travel search and inspiration network, Momondo Group.
Follow on Twitter: @Cheapflights
Follow on Facebook: facebook.com/cheapflights
Cheapflights’ milestones
1996: Cheapflights founded by John Hatt, ex-travel editor of Harpers and Queen. The UK site Cheapflights.co.uk goes live in October, the first ever online price comparison travel site to be launched.
2000: Cheapflights bought by consortium of private investors led by David Soskin and Hugo Burge.
2000: Cheapflights introduces the PPC (pay per click) model to Europe and the online travel industry.
2003: Cheapflights starts international expansion out of cashflow and opens North America headquarters in Boston and launches Cheapflights.com.
2008: Cheapflights globalizes its revenue base with income from overseas expansion becoming the majority share of earnings.
2010: The Cheapflights family of sites surpasses the 100-million annual visit mark and delivers $2.6 billion in annual sales for its advertisers.
2010: Cheapflights Media is listed in the Sunday Times Microsoft Tech Track 100 for the seventh time, the only private technology company to achieve this.
2011: Cheapflights Media acquires Danish-based travel meta-search site momondo.com, expanding its family of brands and growing its geographic footprint to 15 countries.
2011: Cheapflights Media placed in the Sunday Times PwC Profit Track for the second consecutive year.
2011: Hugo Burge assumes the Momondo Group chief executive role.
2012: Cheapflights reaches the six million subscriber mark with its opt-in newsletter.
2012: Group is re-branded Momondo Group Limited.
2013: Cheapflights launches dedicated sites in New Zealand, South African and Hong Kong. The Cheapflights app also launches across Apple and Android OS.
2014: Key areas of integration completed for Momondo and Cheapflights businesses, now allowing group support and collective resources to power two differentiated meta-search brands.
2014: Cheapflights starts testing meta-search in a range of markets – Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Philippines, Singapore and India.
2014: Momondo Group sells a majority stake to Great Hill Partners, Boston. The investor base is now focused on the global growth opportunity open to the business.
2015: Cheapflights transitions two of its biggest markets to meta-search: Canada and the UK, and begins to roll out a new visual identity across its meta platforms and app.
2015: Cheapflights secures a credit line with Silicon Valley Bank and investors for £13m+ in order to support product development and growth.
2015: Andrew Shelton, formally Marketing Director of Virgin Holidays, appointed MD of Cheapflights.
2016: Cheapflights’ biggest ever above-the-line marketing campaign and brand new TV advert help drive daily visits to over 500,000. Across Momondo Group, visits now number 1 million+. The Cheapflights newsletter breaks the 10 million global subscriber barrier, and the app hits 200,000 new downloads per month.
