Cheapflights Set Flight Path for Australia and New Zealand

Announcement posted by Cheapflights 22 Feb 2016

Leading search platform set to shake up the market with ambitious expansion plans

Leading flight search and deals publishing platform, Cheapflights, has set its sights on Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), announcing it will rapidly expand its presence in the region as part of an ambitious global growth strategy.

Attracting over 120 million web and app visits worldwide annually, including eight million from Aussies and Kiwis in 2015, Cheapflights has targeted the 11 million mark as its minimum benchmark across ANZ in 2016. This is part of a broader push that will see the business gunning for growth to 500 million users globally by 2017, and 30 million ANZ visitors by 2020.

According to Andrew Shelton, Managing Director of Cheapflights, ANZ is now a priority region for the business which is investing to capitalise on the outstanding market potential to the tune of 65% revenue growth in 2016 and 2017. He said the strength of the global Cheapflights brand and its proven ability to conquer other fiercely competitive markets like the UK, US and Canada, provide solid foundations for growth in ANZ.

“Our world-leading offer has simplicity at its heart and allows users to cut through the cluttered, constantly-evolving travel market to get the best deals. The intuitive, user-centric product is backed by a highly rated global mobile app, unbounded travel inspiration and a strong international partnership network, all on a leading meta-search platform. It is clearly a winning combination and reflects our commitment to delivering Smart search. Made simple.”

Shelton said there is already a clear appetite for Cheapflights’ best-in-breed platform and that the team will look to disrupt the market and spearhead growth with innovative product developments and commercial partnerships.

“Expanding our network and working with the trade will be vital to our success as we seek to showcase the best offers for users and deliver strong returns for our partners. We will also be investing in a raft of strategic marketing initiatives to drive mass awareness and help secure our rightful market share. To support this, we will be establishing a physical presence in both Australia and New Zealand with key staff appointments to be made in the coming weeks,” he said.

In January alone, Cheapflights.com.au recorded more than 1.7 million searches while the .co.nz platform attracted close to 470,000. Close to 30,000 app installs were recorded during this period, bringing total installs to 225,000 in Australia and 54,000 in New Zealand. More than 200 partner brands featured across both sites, including a range of leading airlines and online travel agencies – for whom Cheapflights generated over AU$350m in downstream revenue in 2015.

“It’s an exciting time for Cheapflights both in ANZ and around the world, and we look forward to driving competition and growth in the region. We’re confident that our core offer, leading technology and commitment to the market will establish us as a force to be reckoned with.”

CHEAPFLIGHTS – www.cheapflights.com.au

Founded in 1996 and launched in Australia and New Zealand in 2009, Cheapflights is a leading global flight comparison and deals publishing platform dedicated to taking the complexity out of finding the best value flights through the application of innovative, intuitive technologies: Smart search. Made simple. It is now a market leader in the UK, US, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand generating over AU $4 billion (£2 billion) in global downstream revenue for its partners as it expands in to numerous other territories. Over 120 million users visit its websites and apps each year, receiving more than two billion search results a month from across 900,000 routes. The 10 million strong opt-in subscribers to the Cheapflights newsletter received over 1.25 billion targeted emails during 2015, offering the best deals from over 120 travel businesses – for whom it has driven more than AU $80 million (£40 million) in revenue this year. Together, the Cheapflights platforms generate enough bookings for its partners to fill a Boeing 747 every five minutes.

In 2011, Cheapflights became part of the privately-‐owned online travel search and inspiration network, Momondo Group.

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