Travel search site Kayak has continued its European spending spree by buying Checkfelix, one of the leading travel search engines in Austria.
Terms of the deal have not been disclosed but Kayak has purchased JaBo Software Vertrieb- und Entwicklung, which uses the Checkfelix as its trading name.
Checkfelix will continue to operate as a separate brand within the Kayak empire, but some management changes are expected to take place, with founder and ex-majority shareholder Hannes Jagerhofer becoming a marketing consultant to the business and John-Lee Saez staying in charge of operations but from Kayak's European HQ in Zurich, Switzerland.
This is the second time in less than 12 months that Kayak has pounced on a strong player in an individual market in Europe.
German metasearch firm Swoodoo was bought by Kayak in May 2010, with CEO Christian Saller taking on the wider role of Kayak Europe managing director.
The deal for Checkfelix was completed on April 1, just a few months short of its sixth birthday, having launched in August 2005 and quickly becoming a significant player in Austria, covering search for flights, hotels and car hire.
Kayak is currently gearing up for its first foray into the public markets, having announced its intention to IPO in November 2010.