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Skyscanner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Skyscanner Ltd.
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryTravel
Founded2003; 21 years ago (2003)
Founders
  • Gareth Williams
  • Barry Smith
  • Bonamy Grimes
Headquarters
Edinburgh, Scotland
,
UK
Key people
Revenue£261 million (2016)[1]
Number of employees
1,200+ (2024)[2]
ParentTrip.com Group
Websitewww.skyscanner.com

Skyscanner Ltd. is a search aggregator and travel agency based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

History

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The company was formed by three information technology professionals.[3] The Edinburgh office was opened in 2004.[4]

In 2009, the year after SEP invested in the business, Skyscanner reported its first profit.[5]

In 2011, Skyscanner acquired Zoombu.[6] Skyscanner opened an office in Singapore in September 2011, which is headquarters for its Asia-Pacific operations.[7] In 2012, a Beijing office was added, as Skyscanner began a partnership with Baidu, China's largest search engine.[8]

By 2013, the company employed over 180 people.[9] In February 2013, Skyscanner announced plans to open a United States base in Miami.[9] In October 2013, Sequoia Capital purchased an interest in Skyscanner that valued the company at $800 million.[10] In June 2014, Skyscanner acquired Youbibi, a travel search engine company based in Shenzhen, China.[11]

By February 2015, the company employed 600 people, double the employment of 18 months earlier.[12]

In January 2016, the company raised $192 million based on a $1.6 billion valuation for the company.[13]

In November 2016, a Chinese company Trip.com Group (formerly Ctrip) bought Skyscanner for $1.75 billion.[14] Following the sale to Ctrip, Skyscanner's largest shareholder, SEP, completed its exit from the business.[15]

In 2017, Ctrip bought the Trip.com domain and launched Trip.com. The original platform became a subsidiary of Skyscanner.[16]

In 2020, after COVID-19, the company announced that it would lay off 300 employees (20% of its staff). It was likely to close two offices in Budapest, Hungary and Sofia, Bulgaria.[17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Field, Matthew (4 October 2019). "Skyscanner soars to record revenues under Chinese ownership". The Telegraph.
  2. ^ "United by a love of travel".
  3. ^ Trapp, Roger (18 February 2006). "How to launch a great business". The Independent.
  4. ^ "In pictures: inside Skyscanner's head office". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  5. ^ "Travel firm secures major investment". BBC News. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  6. ^ Butcher, Mike (17 January 2011). "Travel search engine Skyscanner acquires Zoombu". TechCrunch.
  7. ^ "Skyscanner to set up operation in Singapore". BBC News. 26 June 2011.
  8. ^ "Skyscanner lands China search engine deal". BBC News. 23 August 2012.
  9. ^ a b "Flight firm Skyscanner moves in to America". BBC News. 4 February 2012.
  10. ^ "Skyscanner valued at $800m by backer of Apple". The Evening Standard. 3 October 2013.
  11. ^ "Skyscanner buys Chinese metasearch firm Youbibi". BBC News. 25 June 2014.
  12. ^ Russell, Jon (23 February 2015). "Skyscanner optimistic as revenue growth slows". Financial Times.
  13. ^ Shu, Catherine (12 January 2016). "Travel Search Site Skyscanner Raises $192M For International Expansion". TechCrunch.
  14. ^ Dickie, Mure (23 November 2016). "China's Ctrip is buying flight search company SkyScanner for $1.74 billion". TechCrunch.
  15. ^ "Scottish Equity Partners exits Skyscanner following £1.4 billion sale". Growth Business. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  16. ^ Bort, Julie (1 November 2017). "Tiny startup Trip.com has been acquired by Chinese travel giant Ctrip – a move that could shake up the travel industry". Business Insider.
  17. ^ Rafiah, Moshe (14 July 2020). "A Skyscanner update". Skyscanner.
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