Travelstart Nordic AB buys Ireland’s Openjet Ltd

Travelstart Nordic AB, one of Scandinavia’s top online travel companies, has taken control of Openjet Ltd, a two-year-old Irish company that entered the online travel market in 2003.

The company runs the successful website http://www.openjet.com that specializes in getting the best no frills airfares within Europe. Openjet enjoys a growing market of customers in the UK and incoming US customers, as well as many customers from continental Europe.

Travelstart Nordic AB will use the acquisition as a first step in its international roll out.

Stephan Ekbergh, CEO, Travelstart Nordic AB, said: "Openjet is a valuable acquisition to us. It brings a Europe-wide, if not world-wide flavor to our operations, which have been somewhat concentrated in Scandinavia."

Whilst some IT operations, and customer support will be moved to Travelstart’s headquarters in Sweden, and their call centre in South Africa, Openjet Ltd will remain an Irish entity.

Founder and former managing director Pat O’Shea will continue to work for the company as business development and marketing manager for the UK, Ireland and the US.

Openjaw Technologies of Dublin will be retained as core software providers to the firm and already have been contracted to add further airlines to the suite of no frills airlines that feature on openjet.com

Commenting in Cork today Pat O’Shea said: "Openjet have pioneered the current virtual interlining of no frills airlines within Europe and have saved money and time for 1000’s of customers. With the support of our new parent company we can add further to Openjet's offering by adding new airlines, languages and services, that will make openjet Europe’s top site for cheap air travel within Europe.”