How does KAYAK get prices?

KAYAK is a travel search engine that scans hundreds of travel sites in seconds to gather prices and deals in one place. Here’s how it works.

Where prices come from.

  • KAYAK searches across hundreds of travel sites at once to find prices and availability
  • For hotels, KAYAK processes results from 5M+ hotels and properties and hundreds of third-party sites
  • When you book, you’re booking with the provider (airline, hotel, car agency, or travel site), not with KAYAK

How KAYAK presents prices.

  • Aggregation and comparison: Results from multiple providers are consolidated so you can compare options for the same flight, hotel, or rental car and decide where to book
  • Price Calendar and Price Alerts: Use historical and real-time data to forecast whether prices will rise or fall over the next seven days. KAYAK analyzes over a billion travel information requests each year and monitors prediction accuracy daily

Why prices may differ or change.

  • KAYAK does not set prices. It compiles data from many sites
  • Prices for airline seats, hotel rooms, and car rentals change frequently
  • Multiple people may try to book the same option at once, so some prices may no longer be available when you click through
  • Occasionally, problems in the price and availability data from travel sites can lead to mismatches between a provider’s website and KAYAK
  • KAYAK doesn’t guarantee prices for these reasons

What to do if you find a wrong price.

Please report it to KAYAK so they can fix the issue as soon as possible.

For more info.