Travel social networking phenomenon WAYN.com has signed a deal with one of the darlings of the US meta search market, Kayak, to power flight search functionality on its website. The new flight search service incorporates some of the AJAX-driven technology currently being used on the Kayak.co.uk site, which launched in December 2006. WAYN’s branding has…
WAYN selects Kayak for search partnership
Travel social networking phenomenon WAYN.com has signed a deal with one of the darlings of the US meta search market, Kayak, to power flight search functionality on its website.
The new flight search service incorporates some of the AJAX-driven technology currently being used on the Kayak.co.uk site, which launched in December 2006.
WAYN’s branding has been retained around the as-yet Beta-only flight search tools, including relevancy buttons and scroll bars against search results.
The white labelling of Kayak search into the site is the first a two-part programme to ramp up facilities on the WAYN site since its thrust into the mainstream in recent months.
It is hoped the site will introduce further trip-planning services in the near future.
WAYN’s meteoric rise coincided with a significant injection of funds – around £6 million – from ex-Lastminute.com chief executive Brent Hoberman and Cheapflights management duo David Soskin and Hugo Burge.
Andrew Critchley and Andy Phillips, of Active Hotels fame, have also joined the company as non-executive directors. Hoberman is chairman of the business.
Co-founder Jerome Touze said: “We want to entice our users to add their trips, and all other relevant content that will be useful in a travel context such as photos, reviews and ratings, blogs, travel journals, videos and so on.
“But as part of this customer experience, we also want to provide them with the relevant tools to plan their actual trips. Flight search will be one of the steps that will help us achieve this goal.”
