New CTO joins KAYAK to accelerate AI efforts

STAMFORD, Conn. , April 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, KAYAK is rolling out KAYAK.ai where real-time travel information meets conversational search. KAYAK.ai delivers the most up to date, comprehensive pricing information from 400+ providers in a chat-first format that travelers can trust.

Built combining OpenAI's technology with KAYAK's intelligence, the site will serve as the company's innovation lab for analyzing how travelers engage with KAYAK tools, data and insights conversationally. As KAYAK.com's tech savvy sibling, it will cater to AI enthusiasts and those drawn to advanced technology. What works best on KAYAK.ai will graduate to KAYAK.com.

"KAYAK.ai provides a creative sandbox for our tech teams to innovate and offers a fun platform tailored to travelers who enjoy using ChatGPT and similar tools," said Steve Hafner, CEO of KAYAK. "As we learn what people love on .ai, we will bring those features to KAYAK.com for all travelers."

To get started, KAYAK.ai can help plan your next getaway by:

• Finding the best destinations under $500 to visit in June from NYC
• Discovering all the direct flight route options from your home airport
• Uncovering the cheapest weekend travel options for your chosen destination
• Identifying the most affordable nonstop flight routes for a hassle-free journey
• Comparing hotel options with complimentary breakfast and convenient proximity to your desired locations

KAYAK.ai provides travelers with a comprehensive suite of tools to plan summer adventures easily and with precision. From finding the best destinations under $500 this summer to identifying the most affordable flight routes and accommodations, KAYAK.ai empowers users to make informed decisions tailored to their preferences and budget.

A few things KAYAK.ai can help with:

• Track your trip like a pro. Saved an upcoming trip in your KAYAK account? Log in, type "is my flight on time today" and you'll get a real-time rundown of delays, gate changes and how many hours until you board.
  
  
• See price drops at a glance. Ask about the best time to go to Berlin and KAYAK.ai will show you a graph with the cheapest weekends to fly. Hover over if you want to see daily price shifts - yes, you can get that nerdy (we like to call it "informed").
  
  
• Ditch the layovers. KAYAK.ai will show you every nonstop flight from your home airport with an overview of timing, cabin class and cost.
  
  
• Nail the hotel search. Need a pool, free breakfast and something close to the Eiffel Tower? KAYAK.ai gets ridiculously specific - in a good way.
  
  
• Plan the whole trip in one go. Tell KAYAK.ai you need a 3-night beach getaway for four from Boston in May and it'll suggest destination ideas with real-time pricing and ideal travel windows.

KAYAK brings on new CTO to accelerate AI initiatives.

Leading the charge is KAYAK's new Chief Technology Officer, Yaron Zeidman who brings 29 years of experience and a fresh perspective to the company as the first CTO for the brand outside of its original founding team. A veteran of Agoda, Zeidman most recently led product and engineering at job&talent where he helped build one of the largest AI-driven staffing platforms in the world.

Zeidman will lead KAYAK's 400+ global product and engineering teams forward with AI advancement and personalization at the top of his to-do list.

Business travelers, you're next.

KAYAK is set to roll out a pilot of KAYAK.ai to corporate travelers through KAYAK for Business by year's end.

"We will continue to lead with AI," said KAYAK CEO, Steve Hafner. "KAYAK.ai will help us learn faster so we can make this tech work even harder for leisure and business travelers."

About KAYAK
KAYAK, part of Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG), is the world's leading travel search engine. With billions of queries across our platforms, we help people find their perfect flight, stay, rental car and vacation package. Trusted by millions of travelers, the KAYAK app makes travel planning seamless on iOS and Android, and we also support business travelers with our corporate travel solution.

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SOURCE KAYAK