Skyscanner

Ctrip, now known as Trip.com Group, is China's largest online travel company and one of the world's largest travel booking platforms. The company is publicly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol TCOM and is headquartered in Shanghai, China.

Trip.com Group operates multiple travel brands and serves millions of customers across China and international markets. The company's acquisition of Skyscanner was part of its strategy to expand globally and complement its strong position in Asian markets.

Skyscanner serves as Trip.com Group's primary platform for international travel search and European market operations, while Trip.com Group provides strategic guidance and resources for global expansion.

Skyscanner was founded in 2003 by Gareth Williams, Barry Smith, and Gareth Jones in Edinburgh, Scotland. The company was created when Gareth Williams, a computer programmer, became frustrated with the difficulty of finding cheap flights and decided to create a tool to compare airline prices.

Throughout the mid-2000s, Skyscanner expanded rapidly across Europe, developing sophisticated flight comparison technology and adding new travel categories. The company pioneered many features now standard in travel metasearch, including flexible date searching and price alerts.

By the early 2010s, Skyscanner had become one of Europe's leading travel search engines, expanding into hotels, car rentals, and complete travel packages. The company established offices in multiple countries and localized its platform for different markets.

In 2016, Ctrip (now Trip.com Group) acquired Skyscanner for £1.4 billion, recognizing the value of Skyscanner's technology and European market presence. Following the acquisition, Skyscanner has continued to expand globally while maintaining its Edinburgh headquarters.