KAYAK is an online travel agency that operates through its website and mobile app. This technology company uses HTML5, jQuery, Google Analytics, etc. It also uses python and heavily-modified Django at the application layer.
Key Takeaways
- KAYAK uses ITA Technology and currently, this technology is owned by Google
- The XML Feed from travel sites makes it easier for available products to be shortlisted using the metasearch
- KAYAK company also uses Screen Scraping to separate the “interested” and “not interested” customers
- Some key perks offered by KAYAK company are negotiated fares, allotments, ancillary seats, etc.
What Technology Does Kayak Use?
It is tough to know the exact technology used by Kayak. This is because it is relatively discrete and keeps it quite personal. However, over the years, research has been done, and ITA Technology was identified as the technology that was being used. Google currently owns this technology.
How Did Kayak Get Its Initial Traction?
Like all other organizations and companies have stories, some of them are pretty interesting; Kayak also has an interesting one. In 2003, two partners walked into a restaurant to have dinner, and the idea of creating a kayak was introduced. They wanted to form a different travel agency. Many traveling agents had been there, but they wanted Kayak to be different. They wanted to replace the rest of the agents by giving airline leads instead of selling tickets. This uniqueness was the factor that led to its growth. As of now, it interests over 30% of customers, and its most tremendous success was in 2007 when it generated a profit of 2.7 billion. Its founders went ahead and said its growth is just spread by word of mouth from happy customers and definitely, putting in hard work.
How Kayak Gets All Its Information From All The Travel Sites
If Kayak were taking all the information from traveling sites, then it would have a breakdown for sure. That is why it has adverts. Only individuals who pay for the advertising are included in the major group and receive up-to-date information. It works just like google, and that’s why many praises it as the best traveling agency.
The three significant ways that information is acquired include;
1. The ITA Technology Provider- As mentioned earlier, Kayak uses ITA technology. For instance, when an interested customer goes online and searches or looks into Kayak’s prices, ITA in the background goes ahead, tackling all the available tickets, free planes, and prices for each. It then delivers the final information to the customer.
2. The XML Feed From Travel Sites– Preparation and consistent updates from various sites are presented through this feed. This makes it easier for available products to be shortlisted, and their searches are made more accessible through metasearch.
3. Screen Scraping– Kayak does not commonly use this method; however, it is used when there is a failure from methods one and two at critical times. This method separates the customers; it identifies the interested and not-interested customers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Does Kayak Manage To Offer Prices Below What An Airline Is Offering?
The new trend with traveling agents nowadays is their capability to lower prices. This is attributed to the introduction of several meta-sites and the online travel market, which is growing.
Through the partnership with leading global online traveling agencies, the selling of tickets at a cheaper and more affordable price has been made possible through three main ways;
1. Negotiated Fares– When using this tactic, Kayak has to have a guaranteed number of assured seats that will b booked and paid for. Online Travel Agencies can then provide cheaper tickets, enabling Kayak to achieve its target.
2. Allotments– Have you ever thought about last-minute ticket selling? Well, a couple of years back, it was widespread. Through allotments, Online Travel Agencies allow better pricing per seat and compare it with allowing other seats to remain unbooked before the departing of a flight.
3. Ancillary Seats- Tickets are sold to customers before charging by the Online Travel Agency.
How Does Kayak Make Money?
As unbelievable as it may sound, Kayak does not make money from airlines. If you doubt this, think about this, is Kayak even an Online Travel Agency? Well, the answer is No. Kayak has partnerships with travel agencies, earning its place and name as an aggregator instead. Nevertheless, it still gets its pay. This is mainly through advertising and the distribution of revenues to Online Travelling Agencies. The advertising earns 57%, while the revenue distribution gives it 43% of its profit.
What Makes Kayak So Unique?
You must agree that having its operations up and running is not easy. Placing in mind that there are millions of people out there who want to travel, need seats, and need up-to-date information on flights and their seat prices. Kayak goes the extra mile to ensure none of those that show interest in its leave without getting what they had wanted.
Some of the reasons making Kayak unique are its commitment to its job and support from well-managed and servicing customers. Some other reasons include;
1. Comprehensiveness; Comprehensiveness comes with loyalty, price, brand, and commitment. Kayak has to go through a lot of data, true and false, to find the correct information. It also has to severely and carefully go through and analyze data sources to come up with accurate information, which it then delivers as final information.
2. Accuracy; Earlier, you may have searched and seen an eye-capturing price on booking sites but later realized it was just fraud; It was simply a lie to lure many people. With Kayak, no such claims have been reported. This is because the information provided aims to ensure no deceitful messages are passed across.
3. Speed; With a tap or a click, your search on the Kayak site is just eased. It takes you step by step. It even looks into your search to know just what you are looking for or what you require. It also saves you time.
4. A lot of data; As earlier mentioned, Kayak enabled you to have a closer search and have a search that is up to date. Its data runs from the top layered easily listed information and goes deeper to the sea bottom. It gives you a guide to what you need to know before taking your next step and book.
Is Kayak A Legit Website?
Yes, it is. Efficiency, safety, and reliability are this site’s main aims. It has over eight hundred partnerships globally, counting it as a legitimate business. If you may have doubted its legitimacy, then doubt no more. With its quality, service is assured.
What Exactly Is Kayak’s Business Model?
The business model is the actual company’s core or main profit-making plan, which explains the dealings of that company or organization.
Kayak’s model collects information from travel suppliers and agencies to provide its consumers with accurate travel information ranging from flight booking to vacation packages renting cars and hotels. It, therefore, aims at providing the best quality service to its customers.
Who Owns Kayak?
Kayak is an independent online portfolio intending to help people get the best experiences for bookings of flights, hotels, or cars. Its formation was the idea of two business partners, one of them being Steve Hafner, who, with the help of a business partner, thought about creating it in 2004 and achieved it in 2009. Booking Holdings does not hold it but operates it.
Final Word
You may have fallen victim to having problems with ticket booking, renting cars and hotels, or even getting the right flight. However, through Kayak, simplicity has been taken to another level. What makes it even better is that it is accessible even to mobile phones. How much easier could they have made it? Instances of incorrect pricing and even fraud have been significantly reduced through Kayak. Many of those who have received their services from Kayak have complimented it on its excellent service provision as well as the provision of up-to-date information. If you are clueless about making your bookings, where to start, and the variety of available planes, tickets, hotels, and cars, then Kayak will probably be the best option for you. Take the next step and look into their site, and you will not be disappointed.
References:
- https://www.quora.com/What-technology-does-Kayak-use
- https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/kayak/technology
Rockey is a kayaking enthusiast who has been kayaking with a local group for the last five years. He loves using kayaks while out on outings on the water or camping when the friends want to have a BBQ party somewhere on the bank of a local lake. More About James R Rockey at About Page Here: Authors
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