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.
Company type | Privately held company |
---|---|
Industry | Software, Travel, Internet, Travel agency |
Founded | 1989 |
Headquarters | Agoura Hills, California, United States |
Key people | Jeff Klee (CEO) Craig Fichtelberg (President) |
Products | Software |
Number of employees | 100+ |
Website | cheapair |
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]