Cheapflights appoints first US boss

Michael Bennett, ex-strategy boss at Monster.com, is to take on day-to-day running of price comparison site Cheapflights in the US. The former-advertising executive and Converse footwear marketing boss will take over the reins from company vice-chairman Hugo Burge, who has been widely credited with creating and building the Cheapflights.com brand in the US since 2003.…

Michael Bennett, ex-strategy boss at Monster.com, is to take on day-to-day running of price comparison site Cheapflights in the US.


The former-advertising executive and Converse footwear marketing boss will take over the reins from company vice-chairman Hugo Burge, who has been widely credited with creating and building the Cheapflights.com brand in the US since 2003.


Bennett’s appointment continues a strategy for bringing in experienced business people from outside the travel industry to key positions, such as chief executive David Soskin, who oversees global operations and joined from banking giant ABN AMRO in 2000.


Prior to his final role at Monster.com as vice president for strategy and corporate development, Bennett was general manager for its consumer business and also headed its advertising sales division.


Burge will continue to take a lead role in what the company has called its “hyper-growth” phase, mainly in other European markets and elsewhere.


Soskin said: “Michael’s appointment underlines the importance which we attach to developing the enormous potential of flight price search and comparison in the vast US travel market.


“The USA is the biggest internet and flights market in the world. It is therefore no coincidence that Cheapflights’ senior executive line-up contains four Americans, including our group managing director, Chris Cuddy.”


Cheapflights has also appointed former-Network World business director Charley Spektor to run its US Newsletter service.