Cheapair
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| 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 |
CheapAir.com is a U.S.-based online travel agency established in 1989 by Jeff Klee. With its main office located in Agoura Hills, California and an additional branch in Chicago, CheapAir operates as a privately held entity under the ownership of AmTrav. In 2022, Travel Weekly placed CheapAir.com at number 38 on its U.S. Travel Agencies Power List.
History
CheapAir.com originated in 1989 when CEO Jeff Klee launched the business from his dormitory at the University of Michigan. Initially operating under the name 1-800-Cheap-Air, the company transitioned to an online platform in 2000. Craig Fichtelberg joined as co-founder and president in 1993, facilitating expansion beyond California to include offices in Chicago and New York City.
In 2011, the company introduced the Price Drop Payback program, offering customers refunds if flight prices decreased before their departure date.
By 2012, CheapAir had integrated additional services such as WiFi and live television into its flight booking system, aligning with evolving airline offerings.
September of that year marked the debut of “Easy Search,” a feature allowing users to perform natural language queries, positioning CheapAir among pioneers in adopting semantic search within the travel industry.
In March 2013, CheapAir launched the first voice-activated flight search application for iOS devices, which received a Travel Weekly award and was recognized as a leading travel app.
November 2013 saw CheapAir become the first travel agency worldwide to accept bitcoin payments for airline tickets; this payment option was expanded to hotel bookings by February 2014 but was discontinued in 2024.
In February 2015, CheapAir became the inaugural U.S. agency to provide direct flight bookings to Cuba.
July 2016 brought a partnership with Affirm, enabling customers to finance flights and hotel stays through monthly installments under the “Travel Now & Pay Later” program.
The introduction of “Green Choice” in October 2022 offered travelers an environmentally conscious flight option, reinforcing CheapAir’s dedication to sustainable travel solutions.
In June 2024, CheapAir.com was acquired by TravelPerk, broadening its presence within the corporate travel sector.