KAYAK

Founded: 2004 (by Steve Hafner and Paul English)
Headquarters: Stamford, Connecticut, USA
Type: Subsidiary of Booking Holdings (since 2013)
Categories: Travel metasearch engine
Markets: Global (60+ international websites in 20+ languages)
Parent: Booking Holdings

Overview: KAYAK is a leading travel search engine launched in 2004 that aggregates data from many travel sites. It allows users to search for flights, hotels, car rentals and vacation packages, displaying results from dozens or hundreds of sites at once. KAYAK does not sell travel directly; instead it redirects users to book with the selected provider. Over time KAYAK became very popular (processing billions of queries per year) and was publicly traded in 2012. In 2013 it was acquired by Booking Holdings for about $2.1 billion. KAYAK continues to operate under its own brand within the Booking group. Headquartered in Stamford, CT, KAYAK runs dozens of country-specific sites. Its platform emphasizes transparency (clear total prices) and useful tools (price alerts, flexible date searches). For car rentals, KAYAK shows rental deals from many agencies side by side, labeling the booking source so customers can compare and choose. It is one of the most widely used travel search tools in the world.

Products and Services:
– Metasearch for flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, vacation packages.
– Price alerts and travel planning tools (explore, trip graphs, maps).
– Mobile apps and multi-city search.
– Corporate travel solutions (via KAYAK for Business).

Geography and Markets: KAYAK is available globally (60+ sites, 20+ languages). It is popular in North America, Europe and Asia. Its parent Booking Holdings integrates it with other brands but KAYAK remains a standalone experience.

Ownership and Corporate Structure: KAYAK is fully owned by Booking Holdings (which also owns Priceline, Booking.com, Agoda, etc.). The founders stayed on for years (Steve Hafner as CEO) and then handed over to new management by 2023. KAYAK itself has no subsidiaries, but Booking Holdings provides support and investment.

Key Dates:
– 2004: KAYAK founded.
– 2012: Goes public (NASDAQ: KYAK).
– 2013: Acquired by Priceline Group (now Booking Holdings) for $2.1 B. (Priceline had acquired Orbitz in 2015, but KAYAK remained KAYAK.)
– 2023: Co-founder Steve Hafner steps down as CEO after 19 years; KAYAK continues under Booking’s umbrella (news of Hafner’s departure).

(Sources: Company financial reports, SEC filings, official press releases, and reputable news outlets were used.)