AOL UK has temporarily handed flight and hotel search duties on its main travel channel to Kayak following the end of a contract with Kelkoo. The US meta search engine will power all individual component-based search functionality for an undisclosed period and until a permanent partner is found. The change of provider follows a competitive…
Kelkoo taken off AOL travel channel
AOL UK has temporarily handed flight and hotel search duties on its main travel channel to Kayak following the end of a contract with Kelkoo.
The US meta search engine will power all individual component-based search functionality for an undisclosed period and until a permanent partner is found.
The change of provider follows a competitive pitch by a number of travel providers for the business. Kelkoo is understood to still be in discussions with AOL to resurrect the deal.
The existing Kayak platform has been integrated into an AOL-branded microsite and includes the Kayak Buzz tools, car hire and full Ajax-led functionality.
Kelkoo, the Yahoo!-owned meta search engine for Europe, has worked with AOL for a number of years alongside Thomson UK, which ran package holiday search on the portal’s increasingly important travel channel.
AOL said the partnership with Thomson – in place for the past two years – had not been affected by the change and an extension was signed in the past month.
AOL currently works with Kayak and Travelocity to run travel search for its US portal.
