Cheapflights Ltd., the No 1 guide to travel deals, is pleased to announce that Dan Bricklin has been appointed a non-executive director of its Boston-based US operation, Cheapflights (USA) Inc.
At the same time, Cheapflights is also establishing a new Advisory Board. This Board will advise the company on developments in critical areas of its business including travel, technology and media. Dan Bricklin is also being appointed to this Advisory Board, together with Cheapflights’ founder, John Hatt. These appointments are effective immediately.
In his new role, Dan Bricklin will bring to Cheapflights his expertise in internet technology and nearly thirty years’ experience in the computer industry.
Dan Bricklin invented the electronic spreadsheet VisiCalc – one of the most significant and ground-breaking innovations in the history of computer technology – whilst studying for his MBA at the Harvard Business School. Mr Bricklin is also a graduate in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has enjoyed a successful career in the computing industry and has continued to develop new ways of using computers via his innovative software solutions. He has been honoured numerous times for his contribution to the development of the industry
Commenting, David Soskin, CEO of Cheapflights said: "Dan Bricklin’s genius lies in his ability to see how complex technology can be used to make simple, user-friendly tools for ordinary people. A major factor in Cheapflights’ success in delivering its online travel product guides has been its underlying bespoke data management systems. Cheapflights’ technology enables travellers to access a vast and constantly updated pool of complex travel information from the Internet. Dan’s IT experience and brilliant conceptual thinking will add significantly to our capabilities in doing this. We provide advertisers and travellers with the best available online travel referral resource, and Dan will help us keep it that way."
Dan Bricklin added: "Cheapflights' business model is impressive: they are unlike other leading travel websites which are, in the main, focused on transactions and the sale of inventory. Cheapflights, on the other hand, has created an online 'Search and referral' tool. Travellers can quickly and easily find and compare deals sourced from a huge, single site database. At Cheapflights, they have worked out how to use computer technology and business relationships to capture highly complex data from a large number of travel sources and turn it into fast, useable information for travellers. This internet business model mirrors the most successful and well-known search sites. I am very excited about working with the Cheapflights team."
Notes to Editors
Dan Bricklin is currently president of Software Garden, Inc., a small developer of software applications that he founded in 1985.
Mr. Bricklin is best known for co-developing VisiCalc, the first electronic spreadsheet, while he was a student at the Harvard Business School. VisiCalc is widely credited for fuelling the rapid growth of the personal computer industry.
Until early 2004, Mr. Bricklin served as CTO of Interland, Inc., after it acquired his previous company, Trellix Corporation, in 2003. Prior to founding Trellix in 1995, he served as president of Software Garden, Inc., where he developed a variety of software programs, including Dan Bricklin's Demo Program. Mr. Bricklin also co-founded Slate Corporation, a developer of application software for pen computers, as well as Software Arts, the developer of VisiCalc. Prior to forming Software Arts, he had been a market researcher for Prime Computer Inc., a senior systems programmer for FasFax Corporation, and a senior software engineer for Digital Equipment Corporation.
Mr. Bricklin is a founding trustee of the Massachusetts Software and Internet Council and has served on the boards of the Software Publishers Association and the Boston Computer Society. Mr. Bricklin has received many honours for his contributions to the computer industry from the ACM, IEEE, MIT, PC Magazine, the Western Society of Engineers, and numerous others. Mr. Bricklin holds a BS in Electrical Engineering/Computer Science from MIT and an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. He received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Newbury College, and was elected to be a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
Cheapflights pioneered Internet travel in the UK in 1996. The Cheapflights’ network does not sell flights or holidays, but provides an online guide to the best travel deals from across the travel industry. Cheapflights’ log files of traffic data in January 2004 showed that the Cheapflights network of sites received nearly 2 million unique users. The company conservatively forecasts that use of the site by consumers will lead to travel product sales of over £500 million by the more than 700 travel industry advertisers on the site. These advertising partners range from large companies like British Airways, Travelocity and Thomson to specialist operators like Barwell Travel and Serenity Holidays.
The Cheapflights’ network mission is to be the number one guide to travel deals within each market in which it operates for its viewers and the best online referral option for its advertisers. In addition to Cheapflights.co.uk, Cheapflights Ltd owns a number of travel websites, across different international markets. Its other principal sites are Cheapflights.com for USA users, Cheapaccommodation.com, the global accommodation website and Cheapholidaydeals.co.uk, the package holiday site.
