Skift
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
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.
Skift firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Where Skift is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Skift business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Skift Pro Subscriptions: Premium subscription membership offering daily news, exclusive scoops, stock index access, AI answer engine, and subscriber-only newsletters
- 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
- Research Reports: Custom and syndicated research reports on travel industry trends, consumer behavior, and market analysis
- Skift Studio / Branded Content: In-house branded content studio creating sponsored content, thought leadership, and marketing campaigns for travel brands
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly subscription for individual access |
| Subscription | Monthly | Quarterly subscription for individual access |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual subscription - best value |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Skift product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use Skift
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Skift technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature2 records
Skift partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.
- AirbnbmajorSponsor and speaker at Skift Asia Forum 2026
- Marriott InternationalmajorSponsor and speaker at Skift Asia Forum 2026
- Booking.commajorSponsor and speaker at Skift Asia Forum 2026
- AccenturemajorSponsor at Skift Asia Forum 2026
- American Express Global Business TravelmajorSponsor at Skift Asia Forum 2026
- StripecoreJoint branded content partnership exploring how modernizing payment infrastructure benefits travel companies, with SkiftX studio creating sponsored content for Stripe
- NavancoreSeventh consecutive year of co-producing the annual State of Corporate Travel and Expense Report with Navan, providing industry research and insights
- ZS AssociatescoreJoint webinar on innovative revenue strategies for travel companies during uncertain times
- ZScoreCo-published sponsored analysis on five traveler personas driving premium demand in travel industry
- NavancoreCo-produced 'State of Corporate Travel & Expense 2026' survey covering nearly 1,800 professionals
- Skift ResearchcoreProduces Skift Travel Health Index tracking global travel demand monthly
- Aven HospitalityminorSponsored content partnership with Skift Studio promoting Aven Hospitality's research on AI's impact on hotel distribution
- TravelierminorPublished first official market sizing report for ground and sea transportation valued at $198 billion
- StripecoreJoint report on payment systems in travel and hospitality based on survey of 368 executives, with 90% considering payment infrastructure important to growth
- North JavitsminorVenue partner for Skift Global Forum 2026 scheduled September 22-24
- MewsminorMews executives presented at Skift Data + AI Summit 2026 on AI ROI in hospitality
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Skift competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
Skift social profiles
Digital presenceSkift financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Skift leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Skift subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Skift funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Skift M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A6 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Skift
What does Skift do?
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.
Is Skift a public or private company?
Skift is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Skift founded?
Skift was founded in 2012. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Skift based?
Skift is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Skift make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Skift Pro Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are event Sponsorships & Tickets, research Reports and skift Studio / Branded Content.
Who are Skift's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are OAG, Euromonitor International, Travel Weekly, Hotel News Now (CoStar), Business Travel News (BTN) and Phocuswright. Broad incumbents are STR (CoStar) and The Points Guy. Regional players are WiT (Web in Travel) and Travolution.
Does Skift have an API?
No public API is recorded for Skift.