SmartFares
SmartFares is a privately held online travel agency founded in 2006 that sells discounted airfare to individual consumers via a multi-GDS aggregation platform and a 24/7 call center of approximately 450 agents, covering 500+ airlines globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What SmartFares does
SmartFares (operating under legal entity LBF Travel Inc.) is an online travel agency founded in 2006 and headquartered in San Diego, California. The company sells discounted airfare to individual consumers through a hybrid channel model combining a self-serve website and a 24/7 phone-based sales force of approximately 450 call center agents across multiple US and overseas locations. Its core technology is a Multi-Global Distribution System (GDS) aggregation platform that pulls flight data from multiple GDS sources to surface unpublished fares and unique pricing combinations unavailable on single-GDS travel sites, covering 500+ airlines across six continents. SmartFares monetizes through per-ticket service fees ranging from $30 (online) to $150 (first/business class), supplemented by ancillary offerings including a Lowest Price Guarantee, Flex Tickets for rebooking flexibility, Group Travel Services, and a recently launched Travel eSIM product covering 190+ countries. The company operates as a privately held, independently owned entity with no disclosed institutional investors or parent company. Leadership consists of CEO Michael Thomas and President Utkarsh Kensal, and the business runs on a coupon-driven, segment-targeted marketing approach across family, senior, business, weekend, and last-minute traveler personas.
SmartFares firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SmartFares
- Legal name
- LBF Travel Inc
- Website
- https://smartfares.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- SmartFares is a privately held online travel agency founded in 2006 that sells discounted airfare to individual consumers via a multi-GDS aggregation platform and a 24/7 call center of approximately 450 agents, covering 500+ airlines globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SmartFares industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Travel Agency
- NAICS
- Travel Agencies (561510), Tour Operators (561520)
- SIC
- Services-Direct Mail Advertising Services (7331)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Airfare Consolidators (Net/Published Fare Wholesalers) (THAKAJAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Airfare Consolidators (Bulk/Net Fares) (THAKALAE), GDS Core Distribution & Switching (THALAAAA)
Keywords
Where SmartFares is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
SmartFares business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Booking Service Fees: SmartFares charges service fees per ticket booked. Standard online booking fees are up to $30 USD per ticket. Phone bookings incur additional service fees up to $50 USD per ticket. First and Business class bookings have higher service fees up to $150 USD per ticket. International flights originating outside US/Canada have service fees up to $75 USD per ticket.
- Travel eSIM Services: The company offers eSIM data plans for travelers, providing mobile data in 190+ countries with instant setup and no roaming fees. Customers can save up to 90% compared to traditional roaming.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard online booking service fee |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Phone booking service fee |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | First/Business class bookings |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | International flights outside US/Canada |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Paper ticket shipping (domestic US) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
SmartFares product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SmartFares is an online travel agency that aggregates flight data from multiple Global Distribution Systems (GDS) to give consumers access to cheap and unpublished airfares across 500+ airlines worldwide. It distributes bookings through both a self-serve website and a 24/7 call center staffed by approximately 450 travel agents, charging per-ticket service fees on top of base airfare. The offering is supplemented by add-on services such as a Lowest Price Guarantee, flexible rebooking tickets, group travel arrangements, and a Travel eSIM data product covering 190+ countries.
Product overview
SmartFares is a travel reservation service built around a flight booking platform that aggregates airfare options from multiple Global Distribution Systems (GDS) to provide consumers access to one of the largest selections of cheap flights and unpublished fares. The core platform is supplemented by optional add-on services including SmartFares Flex Tickets for flight flexibility, a Lowest Price Guarantee for price protection, and Group Travel Services for bulk bookings. A Travel eSIM add-on provides mobile data for international travelers. The company operates primarily via phone (with approximately 450 call center agents available 24/7, 365 days a year) and through its website, offering deals on over 500 airlines to destinations worldwide including North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and Oceania.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SmartFares Flight Booking Platform
- SmartFares Flex Tickets
- Lowest Price Guarantee
- Travel eSIM
- Group Travel Services
- Unpublished Fares Access (Phone Agent Service)
Companies that use SmartFares
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
SmartFares technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
SmartFares partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
SmartFares competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Expedia: Expedia is one of the world's largest online travel agencies offering flights, hotels, packages, and car rentals across global markets. While its scale and product breadth far exceed SmartFares', it competes for the same flight-booking consumer with aggressive pricing and loyalty incentives.
- Priceline: Priceline is a major US OTA under Booking Holdings known for opaque bidding and discount airfare/hotel offerings. It competes with SmartFares in the value-conscious leisure segment with much larger marketing budgets.
- Trip.com: Trip.com (formerly Ctrip) is one of the largest global OTAs with extensive Asia-Pacific presence and growing US footprint. It competes with SmartFares particularly on international routes and Asian destinations where SmartFares markets heavily.
- Travelocity: Travelocity is a long-standing US OTA offering flights, hotels, and packages. As a broad incumbent with comparable US-centric consumer targeting, it overlaps meaningfully with SmartFares' core customer base.
- Booking.com: Booking Holdings' flagship OTA offers flights alongside its dominant hotel inventory, competing with SmartFares for online flight bookings particularly in transatlantic markets. It represents the broader incumbent benchmark for consumer OTA experience.
- Google Travel (Flights): Google Flights is a meta-search product integrated with Google Search that aggregates fares from airlines and OTAs. It represents a major competitive threat to traditional discount OTAs like SmartFares by capturing flight-search intent at the search engine layer.
Emerging players
- Skyscanner: Skyscanner is a global flight meta-search and booking platform comparing fares across airlines and OTAs. It competes indirectly with SmartFares as a top-of-funnel fare discovery channel and offers adjacent booking functionality.
- Hopper: Hopper is an AI-driven mobile travel app offering flight prediction, instant booking, and freeze-now-travel-later pricing. It represents the emerging next-generation OTA that competes with SmartFares particularly for younger, mobile-first value travelers.
Direct peers
- CheapOair: CheapOair is a US-based online travel agency specializing in discounted airfare with a phone-assisted booking model similar to SmartFares, offering unpublished fares and multi-GDS aggregation to value-seeking leisure travelers.
- OneTravel: OneTravel is an online discount travel agency offering cheap flights, hotels, and packages, with a hybrid phone/online booking model and access to consolidator fares — directly comparable to SmartFares' positioning in the discount airfare segment.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
SmartFares social profiles
Digital presenceSmartFares compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
SmartFares financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SmartFares leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
SmartFares funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SmartFares M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SmartFares
What does SmartFares do?
SmartFares is an online travel agency that aggregates flight data from multiple Global Distribution Systems (GDS) to give consumers access to cheap and unpublished airfares across 500+ airlines worldwide. It distributes bookings through both a self-serve website and a 24/7 call center staffed by approximately 450 travel agents, charging per-ticket service fees on top of base airfare. The offering is supplemented by add-on services such as a Lowest Price Guarantee, flexible rebooking tickets, group travel arrangements, and a Travel eSIM data product covering 190+ countries.
Is SmartFares a public or private company?
SmartFares is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was SmartFares founded?
SmartFares was founded in 2006. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is SmartFares based?
SmartFares is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does SmartFares make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Booking Service Fees are the primary driver. The others are travel eSIM Services.
Who are SmartFares's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Expedia, Priceline, Trip.com, Travelocity, Booking.com and Google Travel (Flights). Emerging players are Skyscanner and Hopper. Direct peers are CheapOair and OneTravel.
Does SmartFares have an API?
No public API is recorded for SmartFares.
What industry is SmartFares in?
SmartFares's product category is Online Travel Agency. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAKAJAA, Airfare Consolidators (Net/Published Fare Wholesalers), with a secondary code of THAKALAE, Airfare Consolidators (Bulk/Net Fares). Its NAICS code is 561510 and its SIC code is 7331.