What Skift does

Skift is a New York-based, privately held B2B media and information company serving the global travel industry. Founded in 2012 by Rafat Ali, Skift operates a multi-brand portfolio that includes the core skift.com news platform, subscription products (Skift Pro, Airline Weekly, Daily Lodging Report, Skift Research), advisory services (Skift Advisory), executive recruitment (Skift Exec Search, launched 2024), live events (Skift Live — Global Forum, Asia Forum, Aviation Forum, Data + AI Summit, Meetings Forum, Transatlantic Summit), a branded content studio (Skift Studio / SkiftX), an AI-powered answer engine (Ask Skift, built on ChatGPT with Skift's archive and SEC filings), and proprietary data products (Skift Travel Health Index, Skift Travel 200 stock index, Skift IDEA Awards). The company has scaled primarily through acquisitions (Gadling 2014, Airline Weekly 2018, EventMB 2019, Daily Lodging Report 2021, Women Leading Travel & Hospitality and Hospitality.FM in 2025) and bootstrapped operations, with only $1.5M disclosed across two seed rounds in 2012-2013.

Name

Skift

Legal name

Skift, Inc.

Website

https://skift.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Skift is a B2B media and information company serving global travel industry executives with daily news, premium subscriptions, proprietary research, live events, an AI-powered answer engine, branded content, and executive search services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Skift Pro Subscriptions: Premium subscription membership offering daily news, exclusive scoops, stock index access, AI answer engine, and subscriber-only newsletters
2. Event Sponsorships & Tickets: Revenue from sponsored sessions, brand activations, and ticket sales at Skift Global Forum, Skift Data + AI Summit, Skift Asia Forum, and other travel industry events
3. Research Reports: Custom and syndicated research reports on travel industry trends, consumer behavior, and market analysis
4. Skift Studio / Branded Content: In-house branded content studio creating sponsored content, thought leadership, and marketing campaigns for travel brands

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Skift operates a B2B travel industry media and information platform that delivers daily journalism, proprietary research, subscription newsletters (Skift Pro, Airline Weekly, Daily Lodging Report), industry events (Skift Global Forum, Asia Forum, Data + AI Summit), executive search services, branded content through Skift Studio/SkiftX, and an AI-powered answer engine (Ask Skift). The company serves travel executives, brands, tourism boards, and investors with sector-specific coverage spanning airlines, hotels, online travel, cruises, business travel, and travel technology.

Product overview

Skift is a media and information company for the travel industry offering a platform-plus-services model. The core Skift news platform (skift.com) provides sector-specific coverage across airlines, hotels, online travel, cruises, tourism, business travel, and travel technology. Skift operates multiple subscription products including Skift Pro (premium membership), Airline Weekly (aviation news), Daily Lodging Report (hotel newsletter), and Skift Research (industry research). The company offers event programming through Skift Live (Global Forum, Asia Forum, Aviation Forum, Data + AI Summit), advisory services through Skift Advisory, and executive recruitment via Skift Exec Search. An AI-powered product called Ask Skift provides a question-answering service. The branded content studio SkiftX (formerly Skift Studio) creates custom content for travel industry partners. Additional products include the Skift Travel Health Index, Skift Travel 200 stock index, and Skift IDEA Awards program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Skift Research: Industry research and analysis arm of Skift providing data-driven insights for travel businesses
• Skift Meetings
• Skift Advisory
• Skift Live
• Skift Studio (SkiftX)
• Ask Skift
• Daily Lodging Report
• Airline Weekly
• Skift Exec Search

Products and services

• Skift Pro
• Airline Weekly
• Daily Lodging Report (DLR)
• Skift Advisory
• Skift Live
• Skift Exec Search
• Skift Research
• Ask Skift
• Skift Studio (SkiftX)
• Skift Travel Health Index
• Skift Travel 200
• Skift IDEA Awards

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.3 million newsletter subscribers receiving Skift content monthly
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• AirbnbmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 April 2026Sponsor and speaker at Skift Asia Forum 2026
• Marriott InternationalmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 April 2026Sponsor and speaker at Skift Asia Forum 2026
• Booking.commajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 April 2026Sponsor and speaker at Skift Asia Forum 2026
• AccenturemajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 April 2026Sponsor at Skift Asia Forum 2026
• American Express Global Business TravelmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 April 2026Sponsor at Skift Asia Forum 2026
• StripecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 April 2026Joint branded content partnership exploring how modernizing payment infrastructure benefits travel companies, with SkiftX studio creating sponsored content for Stripe
• NavancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeventh consecutive year of co-producing the annual State of Corporate Travel and Expense Report with Navan, providing industry research and insights
• ZS AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint webinar on innovative revenue strategies for travel companies during uncertain times
• ZScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-published sponsored analysis on five traveler personas driving premium demand in travel industry
• NavancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced 'State of Corporate Travel & Expense 2026' survey covering nearly 1,800 professionals
• Skift ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduces Skift Travel Health Index tracking global travel demand monthly
• Aven HospitalityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsored content partnership with Skift Studio promoting Aven Hospitality's research on AI's impact on hotel distribution
• TravelierminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublished first official market sizing report for ground and sea transportation valued at $198 billion
• StripecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint report on payment systems in travel and hospitality based on survey of 368 executives, with 90% considering payment infrastructure important to growth
• North JavitsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue partner for Skift Global Forum 2026 scheduled September 22-24
• MewsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMews executives presented at Skift Data + AI Summit 2026 on AI ROI in hospitality

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• OAG: OAG is the leading aviation data and intelligence platform providing schedules, fares, and analytics - directly comparable to Skift's Airline Weekly subsidiary and Skift Travel 200 stock index with aviation sub-indices.
• Euromonitor International: Euromonitor produces syndicated travel and consumer research reports with global coverage - directly comparable to Skift Research's syndicated and custom travel industry reports and the Skift Travel Health Index.
• Travel Weekly: Travel Weekly is a long-established B2B travel trade publication covering the travel agency, airline, and hospitality sectors with news, research, and events - directly competitive with Skift's core trade journalism and travel industry audience.
• Hotel News Now (CoStar): Hotel News Now is CoStar's B2B hospitality trade publication serving hotel executives with daily news, research, and events - directly comparable to Skift's Hotels sector coverage and Skift's Daily Lodging Report subsidiary.
• Business Travel News (BTN): Business Travel News is a leading B2B media brand covering corporate travel management, TMC news, and the business travel buyer community - directly comparable to Skift's Business Travel sector coverage and Skift's Navan co-published State of Corporate Travel research.
• Phocuswright: Phocuswright is the leading travel industry research and events company, producing the Phocuswright Conference and syndicated research on online travel, hospitality, and tourism - directly comparable to Skift Research and Skift Live events.

Broad incumbents

• STR (CoStar): STR provides hotel benchmarking data, market intelligence, and performance reports to the lodging industry - adjacent to Skift Research's lodging sector data products and Daily Lodging Report but focused specifically on hotel performance benchmarking rather than broader travel industry intelligence.
• The Points Guy: The Points Guy is a consumer-facing travel media brand (owned by Bankrate/Red Ventures) covering travel news, deals, and reviews - comparable to Skift's editorial brand and content marketing model but oriented to consumers rather than B2B travel executives.

Regional players

• WiT (Web in Travel): Web in Travel is an Asia-Pacific-focused travel media and events company producing the WiT conference series and online travel industry analysis - comparable to Skift's Skift Asia Forum and Asia-focused travel coverage but with primary focus on APAC markets.
• Travolution: Travolution is a UK-based B2B digital travel publication covering online travel, travel tech, and distribution - comparable to Skift's Online Travel and Travel Technology sectors but serving primarily UK and European audiences rather than global executives.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/skiftnews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SkiftNews
• Facebookfacebook.com/Skiftnews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/skift
• Instagraminstagram.com/skiftnews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A6 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Skift