Cheapflights Appoints Non-Executive Chairman

Boston, Mass. & London (UK), 28 January 2008: Cheapflights Ltd. ("Cheapflights"), the leading UK and North American internet media travel company, announces the appointment of John Clare CBE as non-executive Chairman with immediate effect. Mr Oliver A. Burge has stepped down as Chairman after six years in the role but will remain on the Board as a non-executive director.

Mr Clare (57), former Chief Executive of DSG International plc (formerly Dixons Stores Group plc) ("DSG"), is one of the UK's best regarded and most experienced business executives. As the principal driver of DSG’s successful shift towards international e-tailing, he is bringing his wealth of experience to Cheapflights as it enters its next period of domestic and overseas growth.

Commenting, Cheapflights' CEO, David Soskin said: "We are delighted to have secured John Clare's services as non-executive Chairman.  Cheapflights is at a very exciting stage in its history.  We have built a leading UK online travel deal price search and comparison company; we have duplicated that success in the USA; and are expanding the Cheapflights brand globally.  John Clare’s direct experience of the internet and of building businesses and brands internationally will be of enormous value to the Board as we enter this exciting new phase of growth.”  He added: "We are very grateful to Oliver Burge for his past contribution and support as Chairman."

Chris Cuddy, Cheapflights' Group Managing Director added: "John Clare brings over 30 years’ experience in building international consumer brands.  His extensive operational background will provide our executive team with invaluable insight to accelerate our growth."

John Clare said: "Cheapflights has built a leading position in its online media space. Not only has the company shown itself to be a successful innovator, it has also proven that a UK dotcom company can succeed and be profitable in the highly competitive US market.  Cheapflights’ impressive track-record of consistent profit and growth going back to its foundation in 1996 gives it an excellent springboard for its next phase of international expansion and I am looking forward immensely to working with the Cheapflights team as we continue to drive the business forward." 

CheapflightsLtd.:  (www.cheapflights.co.uk) was launched in 1996 and pioneered the concept of online flight price search and comparison. It was the first UK dotcom to introduce pay-per-click in 2000 which helped to transform online advertising.  Cheapflights publish flight deals from airlines, budget airlines, online travel agents and the long tail of other specialist flight deal providers. Cheapflights therefore provide consumers with rapid, easy to use comparisons of hundreds of flight deals from the broadest online selection of travel operators. The site is valued by travel industry advertisers as a neutral, high-traffic source of quality high-conversion consumer leads.  It launched its US site www.cheapflights.com in May 2003 which has rapidly grown and which now provides half of Cheapflights' 6 million monthly unique users.  Its Canadian site www.cheapflights.ca soft launched in April 2007 is already enjoying traffic of over 100,000 monthly unique users.  Cheapflights' status as an independent online travel price search and comparison and travel news site makes it a natural starting point for finding travel deals and up-to-date travel industry information on both sides of the Atlantic.