Crain's New York reports that About.com has signed a two-year deal with comparison shopping site Kayak.com to offer readers online travel information:

"In a first-of-its-kind deal for Manhattan-based About.com, an online consumer information network that was bought in March by the New York Times, Kayak.com will serve as its 'premier booking partner.' Visitors to About’s travel pages will find a box where they can enter basic information on a planned trip; they will then be connected to Kayak’s site. Links to Kayak will also be embedded in articles about destinations."

There's a high-powered team at Kayak -- some senior-level execs from Orbitz, Travelocity and Expedia.