CheapFlightsFinder.com CEO and Founder Shahab Siddiqui.
CheapFlightsFinder.com has been engineered to be more than another ticket search tool. It’s also intended to help consumers plan their getaways effectively.
LONDON – Tales of exceptional dedication and perseverance are not unusual among top business leaders – but CheapFlightsFinder.com CEO and Founder Shahab Siddiqui is flying in a class by himself. Siddiqui is wheelchair-bound and must regularly undergo dialysis for hours on end, but rather than dwell on his fate, he took the time to ponder, and ultimately solve, one of the world's most frustrating travel problems: how to find the absolute cheapest flights online without having to hop from one site to another.
Despite his physical disability, Siddiqui has always had a passion for travel. However, dialysis abroad is often expensive, which makes saving money on airfare critically important for him. Naturally that was a big source of motivation behind the development of CheapFlightsFinder.com.
"After months of research while receiving dialysis in my hospital bed, I had my 'eureka!' moment – meta-meta flight search," says Siddiqui. "The well-known comparison sites have done a respectable job of locating low-cost tickets and package deals, but anyone who's done enough searching knows that prices vary significantly from one site to the next. That makes it necessary to use more than one search engine, then compare the results."
When Siddiqui realized that a multi-meta search service didn't exist, he set out to design and develop the first "search engine of search engines" for the air travel industry. This meta-meta price comparison engine would ensure that consumers could always discover the lowest prices on tickets to destinations anywhere in the world; and, best of all, they would only have to visit one site.
Siddiqui and a team of developers quickly set up the "Meta-Meta Flight Search" dashboard at CheapFlightsFinder.com. The search engine compares ticket prices from popular tools like Skyscanner, Kayak, Momondo, Google Flights, TripAdvisor, Hipmunk and more. Results come back in a matter of seconds. Siddiqui noted that his search engine can save consumers up to 20% on their flight bookings.
But CheapFlightsFinder.com has been engineered to be more than another ticket search tool. It's also intended to help consumers plan their getaways effectively. The site integrates flexible fare calendars and destination features to zero in on the cheapest destinations any time of the year. Estimates of the cheapest days on which to book flights are also available.
"With CheapFlightsFinder.com and its Meta-Meta Flight Search dashboard, consumers no longer have to enter travel details into multiple search engines," adds Siddiqui. "They can fill out one master form and then almost instantly flick through the cheapest flights from ten of the best meta search tools on the market today. Doing the same task the 'old-fashioned' way would be a tedious job."
Business and travel journalists have already taken note of CheapFlightFinder.com's innovative solution to an age-old problem. Having been featured in the Times online, the Daily Mail, Frommers, Forbes, LonelyPlanet and several technology journals, the site continues picking up momentum. To date, the site has earned the loyalty of thousands of satisfied customers around the world; at the same time, CheapFlightsFinder.com has helped generate millions in sales for its travel partners. And it all started with one person's great idea.
"I hope my story serves as an inspiration to other budding entrepreneurs, especially those staring at big challenges," concludes Siddiqui. "I'm proof that with a clear vision, determination and a bit of hard work, amazing things are possible, regardless of one's individual circumstances."
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
