Cheapair

CheapAir.com is an American online travel agency, established in 1989 by Jeff Klee. Based in Agoura Hills, California with an additional office in Chicago, CheapAir is a privately owned company under the parent company AmTrav. According to Travel Weekly, CheapAir.com, under the parent company AmTrav, is ranked #38 on the 2022 Power List of Travel Agencies in the United States.

Cheapair
TypePrivately held company
IndustrySoftware, Travel, Internet, Travel agency
Founded1989 (1989)
HeadquartersAgoura Hills, California, United States
Key people
Jeff Klee (CEO)
Craig Fichtelberg (President)
ProductsSoftware
Number of employees
100+
Websitecheapair.com
CheapAir
CheapAir.com

History

Founded in 1989 by CEO, Jeff Klee, out of his University of Michigan dorm room, CheapAir.com was originally known as 1-800-Cheap-Air prior to the website launch in 2000. In 1993 Craig Fichtelberg became a co-founder and president and began the nationwide expansion from California to Chicago to NYC.

In 2011, CheapAir.com announced Price Drop Payback, a program that guarantees to reimburse any price difference before a flight.[1]

In 2012, after airlines began adding ancillary revenue, CheapAir.com added amenities like WiFi, movies, Live TV, and power ports, to its online shopping display.[2]

In September 2012, CheapAir.com launched “Easy Search”, which lets users enter natural language to search for travel deals, becoming one of the first travel websites to offer semantic search.[3]

In March 2013, CheapAir.com created the first voice-activated flight search app for iOS devices.[4] The app won a Travel Weekly award and was named one of the best apps and websites for travelers.[5]

In November 2013, CheapAir.com became the first travel agency worldwide to accept bitcoin as an alternate form of payment for flights.[6] In February 2014, CheapAir became the first travel agency worldwide to accept bitcoin as an alternate form of payment for hotels.[7]

In February 2015, CheapAir.com became the first U.S. travel agency to book direct flights from the U.S. to Cuba.[8]

In July 2016, CheapAir.com was the first travel agency to launch a monthly payment option with Affirm allowing travelers to "Travel Now & Pay Later" for flights and hotels worldwide.[9]

In October 2022, CheapAir.com goes green with a new sustainable flight feature called “Green Choice.” [10]

References
  1. "Getting Refunds if the Price Drops". The New York Times. May 6, 2012.
  2. Schaal, Dennis (February 1, 2012). "CheapAir details flights with Wi-Fi, movies, live TV". Phocuswire.
  3. "CheapAir Makes Searching For Travel Simpler, More Intuitive". Mashable. September 28, 2012.
  4. "Digital Traveler: Voice search app gives fingers a rest". USA Today. June 5, 2013.
  5. RIZZO, CAILEY (April 6, 2015). "50 Apps and Websites to Optimize Your Vacation". Travel + Leisure.
  6. "Cheapair.com CEO on accepting bitcoin Latest News Videos". Fox Business. November 26, 2013.
  7. "CheapAir.com adopts Bitcoins to book hotels". Usatoday.com. 2014-02-04. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
  8. "CheapAir selling direct U.S.-Cuba flights online;". latimes.com. 2015-04-15. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  9. "CheapAir.com has teamed up with financial services company Affirm". CNN Money. September 2, 2016.
  10. "CheapAir Goes Green with New Sustainable Flight Feature". ABC News. October 24, 2022.
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