Kayak.co.uk strikes deals with Ryanair and Lastminute

Kayak.co.uk has announced two new partnerships with Lastminute.com and Ryanair as it enhances its offering in the UK.


Kayak.co.uk has announced two new partnerships with Lastminute.com and Ryanair as it enhances its offering in the UK.



The travel search engine, which claims to be the world’s largest, has also launched its holiday channel in the UK, a beta version of which has been available since August.



The Ryanair licence agreement will see low-cost carrier’s fare and schedule information integrated into Kayak’s flight search.



Ryanair has been famously opposed to third party distribution but has started to offer licences to online partners and is already featured on the likes of Travelzoo’s fly.com search engine.



The Lastminute.com partnerships builds on the inventory the site offers for the UK which also includes Thomas Cook, On The Beach and Virgin Holidays inventory.



Kayak expects the developments to build on last year’s growth in the UK in 2009 which, it claimed, saw search volumes increase 34% over the previous year.



Steve Hafner, Kayak chief executive and co-founder said: “Europe is a major priority for us, and our team has performed exceptionally well.



“As Europe’s largest low fares carrier, Ryanair is a great addition to Kayak.co.uk. Likewise, the inclusion of lastminute.com and the holidays product greatly enhances our offering for European travellers.”



Annie Wilson, Kayak director of business development for Europe added: “

People who use Kayak.co.uk today know we help them find great flight, hotel and car hire options. Now we can help them find great holiday packages as well.”



Keith Melnick, Kayak executive vice-president of corporate development, who oversees the company’s European operations, said:



“We know people are working even harder to find a bargain. These additions reinforce Kayak’s position as a must-have tool for the value-conscious traveller.”