Three friends in Edinburgh built Skyscanner because they were tired of checking 20 airline websites to find cheap flights. Twenty years later, 100 million people use it monthly to search flights, hotels, and car rentals. Trip.com (China’s largest online travel group) bought it for $1.74 billion in 2016. A simple meta-search engine built by Scottish programmers became one of the most visited travel sites on earth.
Founded
2003
HQ
Edinburgh, UK
Total Raised
$192 million
Founder
Gareth Williams, Barry Smith, Bonamy Grimes
Status
Acquired by Trip.com ($1.74B)
Website
www.skyscanner.netTHE ORIGIN STORY
Gareth Williams was a programmer in Edinburgh who wanted to find cheap flights to go skiing. In 2003, the only way to compare flight prices was to check each airline’s website individually.
Google Flights didn’t exist. Online travel agencies had limited inventory.
Williams, Barry Smith, and Bonamy Grimes built Skyscanner as a flight price comparison engine that searched across airlines and travel agents to show all options on one page. It launched in 2003 and grew through word of mouth among budget-conscious travelers.
WHAT THEY ACTUALLY DO
Meta-search model. Skyscanner doesn’t sell tickets directly — it redirects users to airlines or OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) and earns a commission on each click-through or completed booking.
This asset-light model means Skyscanner doesn’t hold inventory or handle customer service for bookings.
Revenue also comes from advertising and sponsored placements within search results.
THE PRODUCTS
Flight search and comparison across thousands of routes. Hotel comparison.
Car rental comparison. "Everywhere" search — discover the cheapest destinations from your airport.
Price alerts for specific routes. Flexible date search.
HOW THEY GREW
SEO domination for flight search queries. In many European and Asian markets, Skyscanner ranks #1 for "cheap flights" and similar terms.
The site was translated into 30+ languages and optimized for each market. Mobile app downloads added hundreds of millions of users.
THE HARD PART
Google Flights is a massive existential threat — Google can surface flight prices directly in search results before users even reach Skyscanner. The meta-search model depends on airlines and OTAs being willing to pay for clicks, which they can negotiate down as they gain direct booking capabilities.
MONEY TRAIL
Series A
2007 · Led by Scottish Equity Partners
$3M raised
Growth Round
2016 · Led by Sequoia Capital
$192M raised
Acquisition
2016 · Led by Trip.com Group
$1.7B raised
WHO BACKED THEM
Sequoia Capital led the $192 million investment in 2016. Scottish Enterprise supported early development.
Trip.com Group (formerly Ctrip) acquired Skyscanner for $1.74 billion in 2016.
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