Flightfox
 | |
| Foundation date | 2012 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Founder(s) |
Lauren McLeod Todd Sullivan |
| Industry | Travel |
| Employees | 5 |
| Slogan(s) | Experts Help You Book the Best Flights |
| Website | Flightfox.com |
| Available in | English |
| Current status | Active |
Flightfox is a website which offers crowdsourced flight searching by allowing users to launch contests in which registered experts compete to find the lowest airfares or construct the best itinerary. The winning expert is awarded the fee which incentivises experts to help others.[1][2]
History
Flightfox was founded in 2012 by Todd Sullivan and Lauren McLeod, in Eveleigh, New South Wales, Australia. They were frequent travellers and were seeking to make their travel funds go further. They raised $800,000 in seed funding from Silicon Valley and Australian investors to set up the venture.[3] As part of the process Sullivan and McLeod moved to Mountain View to take part in a Y-Combinator class, that provides intensive mentoring for start-ups.[4]
Sullivan and McLeod had previously created Globetrooper, which allowed travellers to meet up with other like-minded people to go travelling together. They sold Globetrooper in October 2011. McLeod commented that after creating Globetrooper they realised that they needed a business model from its inception and needed to listen more to its users on improving the site. Sullivan has an IT background and is the site's developer, while McLeod who has a business and design background, works on marketing and dealing with the sites users.
Features
The Flightfox concept followed on from web based travel booking pioneers Expedia and Travelocity. Flightfox sought to bring consistently best fares by having its approved researchers find them. Flightfox has approximately 200 registered experts. People applying for the service submit an itinerary proposal with preferences. The contest remains open for a short period of time and winner is the person who finds the lowest fare, quickest journey or otherwise best suits the flyer's preferences. At present they gain 75% of the fee, which is payable at the conclusion of the contest.
Flightfox considered that human searchers can locate flights for more complex travel requests, such as those with unusual luggage or needs, more readily than software based systems, as well as applying airfare tricks that allow for a lower fare.
Showcases
Flightfox has performed a number of specialist showcase itineraries, where experts showcase talents to promote their services to the public. Showcase contests have included the super-cheap first class challenge, flying a Lufthansa Boeing 747-8i in First Class from Frankfurt to Delhi for $693, less than 10% of the retail price.[5]
External links
References
- ↑ "Flightfox About". Flightfox Inc. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
- ↑ Stross, Randall. "The Lowest Fare? Ask the Crowd". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
- ↑ http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/lauren-takes-flight-with-800000-backing-20120530-1zi4x.html
- ↑ http://www.bordermail.com.au/story/68556/creating-competition-helps-flightfox-take-off/?c=17
- ↑ Conlon, Vanessa. "The Super Cheap First Class Challenge". Flightfox. Retrieved 20 October 2013.