A lot of people in the travel world like to make their own reservations. This is especially true of those who want to use hotel points and frequent flyer miles to help get them a deal.
However not every traveler has the means or interest in churning credit cards, making minimum spending requirements, or paying annual credit card fees in the hundreds of dollars, just to rack up points and miles. They are interested in getting deals too, but are looking more at lower prices than anything else.
In 2013, Scott Keyes, then age 26, found a nonstop, round-trip plane ticket from New York City to Milan for $130. When he got back from Milan, all his friends wanted to know how they could score such amazing deals, as well.
Keyes obliged and set up a newsletter with the deals he found. We’re talking round-trip tickets to Kenya for $310, Rio for $363, the Azores for $271, Copenhagen or Oslo for $279, and Bali for $348.
By 2015, his newsletter had grown into a thriving business called Scott’s Cheap Flights. They use a membership model:
- Limited membership (cost: free) gets you a few international economy class deals each month from up to 5 airports.
- Premium membership (cost: $49/year) gets you the best economy deals from up to 10 airports, including domestic deals, Weekend Getaways, and Mistake Fares from your home airport.
- Elite membership ($199/year) gets you all the benefits of Premium in first, business, or premium economy class. Elite members can also receive Mistake Fares from any US airport and get deals from unlimited airports in the US.
The company claims it’s saved its 2+ million members more than $500 million on flights.
However after 10 years, Scott’s Cheap Flight is apparently ready for a change, and they’ve rebranded with a new name: “Going.”
Why the name change?
“We knew it was time for a brand change that recognized both where we are today and could also grow with us into the future,” said co-founder and CEO Brian Kidwell. “The name Going has this sense of motion and excitement to it that fits perfectly for a travel company like ours.”
Why that particular name?
They apparently went through 3,000 potential new names. Going won because:
- It speaks to travel: The new name had to speak to what the company does, but not in a tired or overly expected way. Names that included the words “travel” or “flight” were set aside in favor of one that conveyed the travel experience more broadly.
- It’s timeless and borderless: The new name had to avoid short-term trends and industry niches, provide room to expand and experiment, and engage a global audience.
- It’s memorable: It was crucial to take this opportunity to streamline and shorten our brand name to something that was easier to recall whether heard on local news or viewed on a billboard. No more “Scott’s Cheap Travels” or “Steve’s Cheap Flights.”
- It underscores the company mission: Above all else, it had to align with the mission to help people travel and experience the world. The name Going achieves that.
The company insists that although its name is changing, the goals and “soul” of the company are not. However, there will be one big, positive change:
Their new app
One of the most often requests Scott’s Cheap Flights has had is for them to develop an app. With the new name will finally come an app. They expect it to launch in the first half of 2023, and it will include an interactive map of cheap flights available in real time. The app will be made available for both iOS and Android.
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1 comment
They used to be great..Money became the driver..When they introduced the $199 elite membership, they quit supplying business, first and mistake fares to Original members who elected to maintain existing membership..if you didn’t pay up, you didn’t get the best deals…
Initially a great thing, ruined because of greed..I guess the young man wasn’t making enough money and changed the rules!!..
I will drop my membership because I know how many trips I used to get verses now, when I refused the $199 membership…