“You can’t build a great company without trust from your customers, your team, and your partners.”
Sam S. Jain
Founder & Executive Chairman
Founder Story
Sam S. Jain
Founder & Executive Chairman
Sam S. Jain is the Founder & Executive Chairman of Fareportal. After beginning his career in travel, Sam quickly noticed the inefficiencies inherent in the offline processes of the wholesale travel industry.
Recognizing the opportunity, he began work to automate and digitize wholesale travel ticket purchases. He launched his first brand Farebuzz which was directed towards B2B customers.
In 2003, Sam used his own finances and bootstrapped the launch of Fareportal, a tech company focused on Flights in the US and Canada.
Building Fareportal
Sam then acquired Travelong, a 50-year old travel company which provided Fareportal and other groups with ticket fulfillment and back-end processes. Travelong helped expand Fareportal’s relationships with a host of airlines globally. Sam then moved to acquire One Travel based in Nevada, which provided a platform for product and market diversification. The company’s CheapOair brand targets the value-conscious market, while One Travel serves the more affluent, aspirational traveler.
Innovation & Customer Focus
Sam continued to grow partnerships with airlines worldwide, which currently stands at over 500 Airlines globally. He worked with Product, Tech and Marketing teams to provide customers with a great experience.
In 2005, when CheapOair was launched as Fareportal’s first consumer online portal, Sam built and conceived the first OTA to incorporate the hybrid approach. This customer-centric and customer first focus emphasizes what Sam calls “the human touch” by combining the ease of online purchase and the support of live agents.
Sam still believes in that promise, and as a result, Fareportal now employs thousands of customer care agents in locations worldwide and the company’s CheapOair and One Travel brands are the only online travel agencies that feature 800#’s on every webpage. Fareportal has begun to invest in Chat bots in addition to its Human agents.
Leadership Philosophy
free and self-funded. His goal is for long term slow and steady growth of the organization with a keen focus on reliability, quality and compliance. Sam’s focus is on investing in company employees across the globe to help them grow in their professions to achieve their and the company’s common goals. As the Executive Chairman of the board, Sam provides support to the management team on Strategy, senior level recruitment, corporate development and general board matters. Looking to the future, Fareportal will continue to invest in its people and deliver value to customers.
Commitment to Community
Education
• MBA from NYU Stern School of Business (Strategy and Finance)
• MBA Essentials Certificate – London School of Economics
• Organizational Design for Digital Transformation – MIT Sloan School of Management
Industry Recognition
Sam is well-recognized as a Travel Industry expert and leader who has given several interviews and participated in multiple forums through Travel Trade publications and conferences. CheapOair is recognized as a leading OTA and appears regularly on the annual Travel Weekly Power List. The Fareportal of today has grown to include domestic and international brands including CheapOair, OneTravel, Duke’s Court Travel, Royal Scenic, ConsoTravel, Travelong, and ClubMiles.
Sam S. Jain Interviews
Executive Roundtable: The Future of the Funnel – The Phocuswright Conference 2019
In The Big Chair LIVE: Sam S. Jain of Fareportal (PhocusWire Studio @ The Phocuswright Conference 2022)
Milestones in Media
In conversation with Sam S. Jain
May 19, 2017
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Meet the Man Behind the Third Largest Online Travel Agency
Mon April 6, 2015
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Sam S. Jain’s CheapOair is really taking off
November 13, 2014
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Interview: CheapOAir CEO on Bridging the Gap Between Booking Site and Travel Agent
August 25th, 2014
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