isango! Goes Deutsche!

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

LONDON, August 19 /PRNewswire/ —

- isango!, the Largest Online travel Experience Provider in
Europe Launches German Site http://www.isango.de in Record Time.

Another first for isango.com as it rolls out the first, truly
localised travel experiences offering in the German market. Only 4 months
after raising the necessary funds, the dynamic startup has put together a
dedicated site for German customers on http://www.isango.de. Far more than
just a translated version of isango! - it is a site truly tailored to German
customers, in line with the country’s e-commerce regulations and crucially,
offering tour and activity products across the world conducted in the German
language.

Germany has the highest volumes of outbound tourism in the
world and a confident online consumer. German low cost carriers and DIY
online travel agents are well established in the market, making it ripe for
an unbundled ‘tours and activity’ offering.

And it’s not only consumers crying out for the category.
isango! enjoys a hybrid B2C and B2B business model, and has received a very
enthusiastic response from strategic distribution partners in Germany. The
company will soon be rolling out its German ‘gold’ label product to its
pan-European partners and is actively seeking additional business
partnerships to extend its reach and online awareness in Germany.

Daniele Beccari, Vice President Europe, isango! says:

“As the first travel experiences aggregator to launch a truly
localised European offering, we are hugely excited about the opportunity that
the German market presents. Since launch, 18 months ago, we have received a
great deal of consumer and trade interest from Germany prompting our choice
of this market as our first localised offering! http://www.isango.de
represents a big milestone in our European expansion plans.”
The launch in France is currently under development and is
projected to happen by year end.

About isango!

Don’t travel the world… Experience it!

isango! (http://www.isango.com) is a market-leading provider
of global travel experiences. Launched in late 2006 by former consultants and
executives from Expedia and Cendant/ ebookers, it provides consumers and
business partners with an authoritative online resource for planning and
booking unique experiences and activities.

The site gives the low-down on each country, providing
detailed information about the destination and the activities as well as
suggested itineraries. With the ability to tailor make trips according to
personal interests and preferences, isango! provides holiday makers with easy
online access to previously hard-to-book products.

isango! offers more than 4,000 activities in 60 countries
and not only sells direct to consumer but via partner companies such as
airlines, car rental firms, hotel groups and travel portals including Ryanair
, Hertz, Yahoo, Teletext and WAYN

Why choose isango!?

- Value for money: the best experiences at the lowest prices, and with no
hidden costs
- Quality: the most reliable operators
- Flexibility: to accommodate changes to travel plans with an easy
cancellation policy
- Security: booking with peace of mind

isango!

Orbitz Worldwide, Inc. Postpones Earnings Release

CHICAGO, Aug. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Orbitz Worldwide, Inc. has postponed the earnings release and conference call scheduled for Monday, August 4, to discuss the company’s results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2008, because the company’s financial statements have not been finalized. The company currently anticipates that it will release earnings on Thursday, August 7.
(Logo: )
The company also announced that it will not present at the Pacific Crest Technology Leadership Forum on August 5.
About Orbitz Worldwide
Orbitz Worldwide (corp.orbitz.com) is a leading global online travel company that uses innovative technology to enable leisure and business travelers to research, plan and book a broad range of travel products offered by over 75,000 suppliers worldwide. Orbitz Worldwide owns and operates a portfolio of consumer brands. In the U.S., those brands include Orbitz () and CheapTickets (), a leading online site for discounted leisure travel products. Orbitz Worldwide’s international brands include ebookers (), a leading full-service online travel company in Europe, serving customers through 13 country-specific websites; HotelClub (), a global accommodation specialist website offering hotels in approximately 120 countries; and RatesToGo (), which offers last-minute hotel reservations worldwide. The Away Network () specializes in providing travel content for travelers seeking unique experiences and activities. Orbitz for Business () is a full-service managed business travel program offering a portfolio of business travel products for small to large companies. Orbitz Worldwide is listed on the New York Stock Exchange .

Orbitz Worldwide, Inc.

eLong to Announce Second Quarter 2008 Unaudited Financial Results on August 26, 2008 at 8:00 pm Eastern Time

BEIJING, Aug. 1 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ — eLong, Inc. , a leading online travel service provider in China, today announced that it will report its unaudited financial results for the second quarter of 2008 on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 8:00 pm Eastern Time (Beijing/Hong Kong Time: Wednesday, August 27, 2008, at 8:00 am).
(Logo: )
eLong’s management team will be on the call to discuss results and highlights and to answer questions. The toll-free number for U.S. participants is 1 800 365 8460. The dial-in number for Hong Kong participants is 852 2258 4000. The toll number for international participants is 1 210 795 0492. The pass code for all participants is eLong.
A replay of the call will be available for one day between 9:30 pm Eastern Time on August 26, 2008 and 9:30 am Eastern Time on August 27, 2008. The toll-free number for U.S callers is 1 800 395 9177; the Hong Kong dial in number is 852 2802 5151, and the dial-in number for international callers is 1 203 369 4612. The pass code for the replay is 713690.
Additionally, a live and archived web cast of this call will be available on the Investor Relations section of the eLong corporate website at .
About eLong, Inc.
eLong, Inc. is a leading online travel company in China. Headquartered in Beijing, eLong has a national presence across China. eLong uses web-based distribution technologies and a 24-hour call center to provide consumers with access to travel reservation services. Aiming to enrich people’s lives through the freedom of independent travel, eLong empowers consumers to make informed choices by providing a one-stop travel solution and consolidated travel tools and information such as maps, virtual tours and user ratings. eLong has the capacity to fulfill air ticket reservations in over 80 major cities across China. In addition to a wide hotel selection in the Greater China region, eLong offers Chinese consumers the ability to make bookings at international hotels in over 140 destinations worldwide. eLong operates the websites and .
For more information, please contact:

Investor Contact:
eLong, Inc.
Investor Relations
Tel: 86-10-6436-7570
Email:

eLong, Inc.

TRX and ExpenseWire Partner to Deliver Integrated Travel & Expense Management Solution

ATLANTA, WOOSTER, Ohio and LOS ANGELES, July 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — At the National Business travel Association (NBTA) International Convention and Exposition, TRX Inc. , a global technology company that develops and hosts software applications to process data records and automate manual processes, and ExpenseWire, a Rearden Commerce company, today announced the two companies have partnered to deliver an integrated expense and travel management solution for customers using RESX, TRX’s corporate travel booking application. Available now, the integrated solution improves companies’ visibility into employee spending and their ability to cut costs, while providing employees the convenience of submitting their expense reports online.
RESX is a Web-based, self service application that enables business travelers and travel arrangers to create policy-compliant air, car and hotel reservations. RESX’s robust administration module enables travel management companies and corporate travel managers to tightly manage policy, site customization and user settings. ExpenseWire’s on-demand software simplifies and streamlines the process of filing, reviewing, approving and reimbursing employee expense reports online. The integrated solution delivers valuable company and employee benefits for travel, procurement and finance professionals that include:
– Reducing employee spending by communicating and enforcing spending policies from the point of purchase to the expense report.
– Identifying discrepancies between booked and actual charges and flagging employee fraud and overbilling by suppliers.
– Pre-populating expense reports automatically with travel and credit card transaction data, so employees spend less time completing expense reports and waiting for reimbursement.
“We are excited about our partnership with TRX, and the opportunity to bring the benefits of ExpenseWire’s integrated expense management solution to thousands of RESX customers and millions of employees nationwide,” said Andrew Vaeth, President of ExpenseWire.
“This technology integration is representative of our approach to delivering freedom of choice to customers in terms of integrated technology solutions in the travel and expense management space,” said Shane Hammond, president of RESX Technologies. “Through our partnership with ExpenseWire we are pleased to offer our RESX clients yet another expense management option.”
About TRX
TRX is a global technology company. We develop and host software applications that process data records and automate manual processes, enabling our clients to optimize performance and control costs. We are a leading provider to the travel industry and are expanding into financial services and healthcare. We deliver our technology applications in an on-demand environment to travel agencies, corporations, travel suppliers, government agencies, credit card associations, credit card issuing banks, and third-party administrators. TRX is headquartered in Atlanta with operations and associates in North America, Europe, and Asia. Please visit the company’s website at .
About ExpenseWire
The ExpenseWire(R) application sets a new bar for expense management. It simplifies and automates the process of filing, reviewing, approving and reimbursing employee expense reports online. It provides organizations the business insight and process control they require to reduce costs and strategically manage expenses. ExpenseWire’s on-demand solution can be deployed quickly and integrates easily with travel booking tools and other third party applications. ExpenseWire(R) is a brand of Rearden Commerce, Inc. ( ). To learn more about how ExpenseWire delivers on the promise of expense automation, visit .
TRX, Inc.

Rearden Commerce Continues Rapid Growth With Addition of 500,000 Contracted Users

FOSTER CITY, Calif. and LOS ANGELES, July 28 /PRNewswire/ — At the National Business travel Association (NBTA) International Convention and Exposition (Booth #2501) Rearden Commerce, Inc., creator of the first Web-based personal assistant, and a leading choice among companies for managing spending on business services, announced that it added more than 800 customers and 500,000 contracted users in the first six months of 2008, placing it among the fastest-growing on-demand providers. The company also introduced a new International Mobile Service, and announced the acquisition of ExpenseWire, a leading provider of on-demand expense management solutions. Both of these initiatives are aimed at helping companies better manage and control expenses in today’s uncertain economy (see today’s related press releases).
Companies of all sizes are turning to Rearden Commerce for its user-friendly personal assistant, industry leading spend management solution, and on-demand commerce platform that enables one-stop shopping with more than 160,000 merchants and applications providers. Rearden Commerce orchestrates all aspects of business travel and entertainment including flights, hotels, ground transportation, dining, and event tickets, and also extends its reach to related employee services and applications like web and audio conferencing and desktop shipping.
“The huge growth in our customer base in the first half of 2008 is a tremendous validation of Rearden Commerce’s vision for the industry,” said Patrick Grady, founder and CEO of Rearden Commerce. “Since our inception, we’ve put the Web to work to help organizations manage spend in areas that have traditionally gone unmanaged, and help people more easily find and buy what they need based on personal preferences and company policies.”
Travel Distribution Partners Fuel Customer and User Growth
In the last eighteen months, Rearden Commerce has added more than 2,000 customers and 1.5 million contracted users, and increased spend managed on its platform by more than 1600%. Advisory Board, Pearl Drums, and USG Corporation are now among Rearden Commerce’s growing roster of customers, spanning the Fortune 500 to SMB.
Much of Rearden Commerce’s customer growth can be attributed to the success of its growing distribution network of travel management companies (TMC). Today, more than 55 TMCs including industry leader American Express Business travel are successfully reselling Rearden Commerce’s technology platform to thousands of businesses throughout the United States.
“Being a Rearden Commerce TMC partner has helped us differentiate our services, win new accounts and offer our clients cost-savings opportunities and conveniences they’ve never seen before,” said Michael Cain, president of Boulder, Colo.-based Cain Travel. “In the last six months, we’ve migrated our entire base of 120 customers from legacy booking tools to Rearden Commerce, using only two internal resources. This really speaks to the value our customers see in the Rearden Commerce Platform, and the ease with which it can be quickly deployed.”
Rearden Commerce Adds International Mobile Service and Acquires ExpenseWire
Rearden Commerce also continues to add new services and applications that help companies manage spend and simplify life for employees. The company introduced International Mobile Service, which lets organizations slash international mobile roaming charges up to 75 percent, while keeping travelers connected with customers, partners, friends and family. Rearden Commerce also announced the acquisition of ExpenseWire, a leading provider of on-demand software that helps organizations better manage and control employee spending. Seamlessly integrated with the Rearden Personal Assistant(TM), ExpenseWire’s application lets employees submit their expenses online in minutes and receive reimbursement within hours. Rearden Commerce will continue to support customers who prefer to work with expense tools from other providers.
About Rearden Commerce, Inc.
Rearden Commerce makes life simpler by delivering a Web-based personal assistant that intuitively manages the everyday details of business and personal life. Just like a seasoned executive assistant, the Rearden Personal Assistant(TM) handles an impressive array of tasks and services, and delights users by considering their unique needs and personal preferences. The Rearden Personal Assistant is built on the Rearden Commerce(TM) Platform, which supports an ecosystem of more than 160,000 trusted merchants and third-party applications providers. Today, more than one and a half million contracted users at organizations ranging from the Fortune 500 to small/medium enterprises, including ConAgra Foods, Glaxo Smith Kline and JDSU, rely on the recommendations and assistance of the Rearden Personal Assistant to save time and be more efficient, while saving their companies money. Rearden Commerce is headquartered in Foster City, CA. For more information, visit .
Copyright 2008 Rearden Commerce, Inc. All rights reserved.
Rearden Commerce, Inc.

Concur Connect Establishes More Connections With Leading Travel Suppliers to Deliver Full Content and E-Receipts to Power Smart Expenses

REDMOND, Wash., July 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Concur the world’s leading provider of on-demand business services that automate Employee Spend Management, today announced that several industry-leading suppliers — including Avis/Budget, SNCF, SWABIZ (Southwest Business), Volaris and Interjet — have been added to the growing list of vendors participating in Concur(R) Connect — the global program that connects suppliers from around the world to over $35 billion of spend driven by Concur’s over 7,000 clients. Suppliers participating in this program are able to provide Concur clients with direct access to their travel inventory and content and deliver complete electronic folio data in the form of e-receipts directly into Concur(R) travel & Expense.
Concur Connect gives clients exclusive access to services otherwise unavailable through traditional managed travel programs, but doesn’t just stop at reservations like other content aggregators. Concur uses industry-exclusive technology to gather e-receipts, automate expense reporting and deliver Smart Expenses(TM) — Concur’s industry-first innovation that completely shatters the notion of the traditional expense report. By matching the three trusted sources of corporate travel data — itinerary, corporate card and industry- exclusive e-receipts — Concur enables organizations to automatically complete the expense report on the employee’s behalf, making One Touch Business Travel(TM) a reality.
“For too long, companies have suffered from a lack of direct access to the travel content that they need to manage their corporate travel programs from a global perspective,” said Rajeev Singh, president and chief operating officer for Concur. “This is in addition to the frustration they have in reconciling what was booked with what was actually spent. Concur Connect solves these issues globally, by delivering exclusive access to content from leading global travel suppliers directly through Concur’s online booking experience, while also enabling these same suppliers to provide e-receipts that power the Smart Expenses that are helping clients eliminate the traditional expense report. The results are frictionless transactions for both corporate travel buyers and travel suppliers, a seamless experience for business travelers and greater control and efficiency to help our clients drive down costs.”
These newly added suppliers join other recently added suppliers including Hilton Hotels Corporation, Choice Hotels International, Intercontinental Hotels Group, RideCharge, Deutsche Bahn and many others who are participating in Concur Connect to provide clients with exclusive access to content, inventory, programs and e-receipts. This industry-leading innovation ensures that every Concur client has access to the travel content and programs they need to help them manage and drive costs out of their corporate travel program. Visitors to Concur’s National Business travel Association (NBTA) International Convention & Exposition booth (#739) in Los Angeles, CA on July 28 will see how Concur’s industry-leading travel and expense management service — Concur travel & Expense — delivers access to Concur Connect suppliers.
About Concur
Concur is the world’s leading provider of on-demand Employee Spend Management services. Concur enables organizations to globally control costs by automating the processes they use to manage employee spending. Concur’s end-to-end solutions seamlessly unite online travel booking with automated expense reporting, streamline meeting management and optimize the process of managing vendor payments, employee check requests and direct reimbursements. Organizations of all sizes trust Concur to help them control spend before it occurs while eliminating paper and optimizing supplier relations. Concur’s unified approach to managing employee spend delivers a 360° view into all employee expenses, helping companies globally enforce policies and monitor vendor compliance, while delivering unprecedented control and valuable insight. Concur’s suite of on-demand services reach millions of employees across thousands of organizations around the world — streamlining business processes, reducing operating costs, improving internal controls and providing enhanced visibility and actionable expense analysis. More information about Concur is available at .
Concur

PlanetEye Unveils Innovative Online Travel Planning Site Licensing Microsoft IP and Technology

TORONTO and REDMOND, Wash., July 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — PlanetEye launched an innovative online travel planning service today powered by Microsoft Corp.’s groundbreaking technology World Wide Media eXchange (WWMX). The new site, at , provides travelers with the convenience of being able to research, plan and book their next vacation.
(Logo: )
PlanetEye licensed intellectual property (IP) from Microsoft and collaborated with the company’s research and development teams, along with Canadian entrepreneurs and two venture capitalists, to bring to market a unique and comprehensive travel-planning service for travelers.
“With gas prices making every travel dollar precious, a site that helps you get the most out of that dollar would be invaluable,” said Rob Enderle, principal analyst for the Enderle Group. “PlanetEye pulls together advanced social networking elements, contextual mapping and professional travel information to create the most advanced travel planning tool I have ever seen.”
One of PlanetEye’s key features is an interactive and dynamic map, powered by WWMX, whereby travelers can identify a destination and discover an extensive amount of information such as geotagged photographs, hotels, attractions and restaurants. For example, if a traveler selects five attractions in Paris, PlanetEye can provide help in booking just the right hotel by showing on the map the best and closest place to stay.
With a growing number of in-house writers in cities around the world, valuable content from a variety of sources, and key partnerships to book flights, hotels, restaurants and events, PlanetEye is for travelers who want a quick and easy way to plan their next adventure. PlanetEye also offers travel Packs, a unique feature allowing users to compile an online wish list of travel destinations or scrapbook of experiences they would like to have while traveling. A great way to coordinate travel plans, travel Packs enable users to organize their lists by specific themes or locations — and they can be kept private or shared with friends, with family or with anyone on the Web.
“PlanetEye wants to inspire travelers to explore and discover the world online, and then make it easy for them to plan and book the best trip possible,” said Butch Langlois, PlanetEye’s president and chief executive officer. “We want travel planning to be easy and exciting, while minimizing the number of Web sites needed to complete travel plans.”
Since 2003, Microsoft has been able to help bring great new technologies to market, helping to develop new companies and new opportunities throughout the world due to its unique approach to licensing IP.
“Microsoft is committed to supporting technology startups in an effort to drive the software ecosystem and support innovation and prosperity,” said Bob Tenczar, director of marketing for the Intellectual Property Licensing Division at Microsoft. “We are very excited about this collaboration and the way PlanetEye adopted the technology developed at Microsoft Research and applied it to the online travel experience.”
PlanetEye’s beta site, which was initially open to all Microsoft employees, has already won critical acclaim from the travel industry in Canada. PlanetEye will soon be joining with travel industry leaders such as Travelocity to help bring its innovative offering to a wider audience of travelers.
As a company PlanetEye has also received accolades including winning the Canadian Tourism Commission’s Entrepreneur competition, as well as being named as one of Canada’s Hottest 20 Innovative Companies by the Canadian Innovation Exchange.
Microsoft’s Commitment to Licensing Technology
The licensing agreement is another example of the important role IP plays in ensuring a healthy and vibrant IT ecosystem. Since Microsoft launched its IP licensing program in December 2003, the company has entered into more than 500 licensing agreements and continues to develop programs that make it possible for customers, partners and competitors to access its IP portfolio. The program was developed to open up access to Microsoft’s significant research and development investments and its growing, broad patent and IP portfolio. It is also part of Microsoft’s unique approach to IP licensing and collaboration that includes the Microsoft IP Ventures program, started in 2005. More information about Microsoft’s licensing programs is available at .
About PlanetEye
PlanetEye is an online travel-planning service for travellers looking to easily and quickly research, organize and share their trips. Featuring more than 70,000 geotagged photographs, leading-edge mapping technology and extensive travel content, PlanetEye is where travelers can explore where to go and what to do. With local experts at your disposal and a growing list of respected travel sources, we provide valuable information so you can make smart travel-planning decisions. More information about PlanetEye is available at .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Microsoft Corp.

Nearly Half of Workers Sacrificed Something to Buy Gas to Get to Work, CareerBuilder.com Survey Finds

CHICAGO, July 9 /PRNewswire/ — The impact of escalating fuel costs has taken its toll on American commuters. Of the 89 percent of workers who said they drive to work, nearly half (47 percent) reported they had to give up something in order to afford the gas needed for their commute. This is according to CareerBuilder.com’s latest survey completed in June 2008 of more than 8,700 workers nationwide.
When asked to identify what they had to forego in order to accommodate higher fuel prices, workers reported they:
* Ate out less — 35 percent
* Spent less money on entertainment — 31 percent
* Bought less expensive groceries — 27 percent
* Went shopping for clothes less — 24 percent
* Did not go on vacation — 21 percent
* Eliminated cable, magazine subscriptions, etc. — 11 percent
* Did not attend a function where they would be expected to bring a gift
— 9 percent
* Cut back on their child’s extracurricular activities — 4 percent

Given the cost of gas today, 60 percent of workers said they would be willing to drive up to 20 miles to the office. Twenty-nine percent would only drive up to 10 miles while 10 percent would only drive up to five miles.
“Today’s workers have had to modify personal budgets, spending choices and commuting habits to manage the adverse effects today’s gas prices have had on their pocketbooks,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.com. “One-in-ten workers said they would take a pay cut for a job with a shorter commute.”
Haefner recommends the following tips to stretch your commuting dollars:
1) Check for office perks — Twelve percent of workers reported their employers offer some form of financial reimbursement for the commute. Of these, 31 percent said their employers provide public transit reimbursement, 20 percent cited reduced transit vouchers and 9 percent cited carpooling incentives.
2) Try carpooling — Not only does carpooling promote a healthier environment, it also contributes to a healthier bank account. Eight percent of workers said they catch a ride to the office with co-workers. Of these workers, 22 percent estimated they save more than $50 per week carpooling and 51 percent save more than $25 per week.
3) Take mass transit — Catching a bus or train can cut down on costs and travel times. Seven percent of workers said they are taking public transportation to and from work instead of driving due to rising energy costs.
4) Telecommute — The cheapest way to travel is no travel at all. More employers today are offering flexible work arrangements and may accommodate a request to work from home a day or two to help mitigate commute costs.
5) Get in shape — Take advantage of the warm weather to walk or ride your bike to work if the commute length allows for it.
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive(R) on behalf of CareerBuilder.com among 8,785 employees (employed full-time; not self-employed) between May 22 and June 13, 2008. Percentages for some questions are based on a subset of responses to certain questions. With a pure probability sample of 8,785, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of /- 1.05 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.
About CareerBuilder.com
CareerBuilder.com is the nation’s largest online job site with more than 23 million unique visitors and over 1.6 million jobs. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. , Tribune Company, The McClatchy Company and Microsoft Corp. , the company offers a vast online and print network to help job seekers connect with employers. CareerBuilder.com powers the career centers for more than 1,600 partners, including 140 newspapers and leading portals such as America Online and MSN. More than 300,000 employers take advantage of CareerBuilder.com’s easy job postings, 26 million-plus resumes, Diversity Channel and more. CareerBuilder.com and its subsidiaries operate in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit .
Media Contact:
CareerBuilder.com
Jennifer Grasz
773-527-1164

CareerBuilder.com

Orbitz.com, ebookers.com to Become MSN’s Travel Provider in the United States and United Kingdom

CHICAGO, July 2 /PRNewswire/ —

- Orbitz Worldwide to power travel portal and integrate booking tools,
service and content on MSN Travel

Orbitz.com (http://www.orbitz.com), the flagship brand of Orbitz
Worldwide (NYSE: OWW) in the United States, and its affiliated online travel
brand ebookers.com (http://www.ebookers.co.uk) in the United Kingdom,
announced today that they have signed a multi-year deal with Microsoft to
serve as the online travel agency for MSN.com’s travel portal in the United
States (http://travel.msn.com) and United Kingdom (http://travel.uk.msn.com),
respectively.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070813/AQM125LOGO)

Orbitz.com and ebookers.com will power all of MSN Travel’s offerings,
including air, hotel, vacation package, cruise and car rental bookings.

Following the July 1st launch, MSN travel customers in the United States
will benefit from Orbitz.com’s unique new “Price Assurance(SM)” service,
which refunds the difference in airfare for travelers in the event another
Orbitz customer books the same flight itinerary for a lower price. MSN
customers in the United States will also benefit from OrbitzTLC, an
innovative service that proactively alerts customers with information about
their trip via email, phone or text message.

MSN travel customers in the UK will benefit from ebookers.com’s Price
Guarantee, which refunds the difference if the customer finds a better price.
MSN users in the United Kingdom will also benefit from a fantastic range of
worldwide hotels with up to 60% off.

Microsoft also plans to integrate more content from its newly-acquired
Live Search Farecast travel search engine within the MSN travel site as well.

“Our partnership with MSN will provide additional visibility and traffic
to both Orbitz.com and ebookers.com, strengthening growth in both the United
States and the United Kingdom,” said Steve Barnhart, CEO and president of
Orbitz Worldwide. “As one of the largest Internet destinations in the world,
MSN represents another significant win for growing our co-branded
distribution.”
Orbitz Worldwide’s co-branded and private label business powers travel
bookings for a number of airline, hotel and general interest websites.

“Orbitz provides an excellent online experience for its customers and has
unique customer-focused services,” stated John Russell, senior channel
manager of MSN travel at Microsoft Corp. “Microsoft is committed to
delivering innovative features that help our MSN travel customers make
smarter decisions, and the integration of Orbitz’s technology is another step
toward fulfilling that commitment.”
For more information on Orbitz Worldwide’s co-branded capabilities, email
us at OrbitzPrivateLabelServices@orbitz.com.

About Orbitz Worldwide

Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW) is a leading global online travel company
that uses innovative technology to enable leisure and business travelers to
research, plan and book a broad range of travel products. Orbitz Worldwide
owns and operates a portfolio of consumer brands that includes Orbitz
(http://www.orbitz.com), CheapTickets (http://www.cheaptickets.com), ebookers
(http://www.ebookers.com), HotelClub (http://www.hotelclub.com), RatesToGo
(http://www.ratestogo.com), the Away Network (http://www.away.com), and
corporate travel brand Orbitz for Business
(http://www.orbitzforbusiness.com). For more information on how your company
can partner with Orbitz Worldwide, visit http://corp.orbitz.com/.

Web site: http://www.orbitz.com
http://www.ebookers.co.uk
http://travel.msn.com

Orbitz Worldwide

TripAdvisor Acquires VirtualTourist and OneTime

NEWTON, Massachusetts and MANHATTAN BEACH, California, July 1 /PRNewswire/ —

TripAdvisor LLC, the world’s largest travel community and an operating
company of Expedia, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPE), today announced it has acquired
VirtualTourist.com, Inc., a leader in user-generated travel content since
1999, and OneTime.com, Inc., a leader in travel booking comparison. Including
VirtualTourist(TM) and OneTime(TM), the TripAdvisor(R) Media Network now
attracts nearly 32 million unique monthly visitors.*

“VirtualTourist pioneered the concept of an online travel community, and
with the help of over a million enthusiastic members, has created a fantastic
travel site,” said Steve Kaufer, founder and CEO of TripAdvisor. “I’m
thrilled to have such great companies join our media network, and I look
forward to working with the teams to help grow the sites and the community.”
“With the addition of VirtualTourist and OneTime, TripAdvisor Media
Network is now the undisputed leader in the travel media space and we are
excited to be a part of it. By combining efforts we hope to accelerate growth
and provide our members and users with an even better online experience,”
said J.R. Johnson, founder and chairman of VirtualTourist and OneTime. “We
are incredibly proud of what we’ve built and how we’ve been able to serve
travelers for nearly a decade. Now, with this new partnership, we can look
forward to serving our travelers even better and ensuring ever greater
success long into the future.”
VirtualTourist and OneTime, both based in Manhattan Beach, Calif.,
generate revenue through online advertising and both operate profitably.
Specific terms of the transaction are not being disclosed. There are no plans
for integration of the businesses or the Web domains.

VirtualTourist General Manager Giampiero Ambrosi and OneTime General
Manager Dena Yahya will continue to run the businesses, respectively,
reporting to Steve Kaufer. The employees of VirtualTourist and OneTime will
remain based in Manhattan Beach.

VirtualTourist

VirtualTourist.com is one of the largest online travel communities in the
world and a premier resource for travelers seeking an insider perspective on
travel information, from Las Vegas hotels to New York City restaurants. At
www.virtualtourist.com, real people share real advice on places they’ve
traveled as well as their hometowns; they research and plan trips, and they
interact with other avid travelers via forums and email; VirtualTourist
boasts more than 1.6 million travel reviews and 3 million photos on more than
58,000 destinations worldwide. Unbiased, user-generated content on Hotels,
Attractions, Local Customs, Tourist Traps and much more is posted entirely by
VirtualTourist’s more than 1 million registered members from over 220
countries and territories, and the site’s Trip Planner feature allows users
to create custom print-and-go travel guides. Among VirtualTourist’s awards
and accolades: “Sites that Changed Our World,” The Guardian; “Favorite
Website,” Newsweek; “35 Best travel Sites,” travel & Leisure.

OneTime

OneTime, www.onetime.com, is a leading travel comparison website, where
users compare prices from more than 60 popular travel websites, direct
suppliers, and metasearch engines each month. Online since April of 2004,
OneTime helps consumers save time and money when booking travel. For travel
partners, OneTime is an effective marketing platform for reaching the online
booking audience.

About TripAdvisor Media Network

TripAdvisor(R) Media Network, operated by TripAdvisor, LLC, attracts
nearly 32 million monthly visitors* across 12 popular travel brands,
TripAdvisor(R), airfarewatchdog.com(TM), bookingbuddy.com (TM),
cruisecritic.com(TM), holidaywatchdog.com(TM), independenttraveler.com(TM),
onetime.com(TM), seatguru.com(TM), smartertravel.com(TM),
travel-library.com(TM), travelpod.com(TM) and virtualtourist.com(TM).
TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world,
with 24 million monthly visitors*, six million registered members and 15
million reviews and opinions. Featuring real advice from real travelers,
TripAdvisor-branded sites cover 300,000 hotels and attractions and operate
in the U.S. (http://www.tripadvisor.com), the U.K.
(http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk), Ireland (http://www.tripadvisor.ie), France
(http://www.tripadvisor.fr), Germany (http://www.tripadvisor.de), Italy
(http://www.tripadvisor.it), and Spain (http://www.tripadvisor.es).
TripAdvisor(R) Media Network provides travel suppliers with graphical
advertising opportunities and a cost-per-click marketing platform.
Collectively, the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network have won
hundreds of awards and accolades from press and industry worldwide.
TripAdvisor and the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network are
operating companies of Expedia, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPE).

TripAdvisor, SeatGuru, Travel-Library, Holiday Watchdog and TravelPod are
either registered trademarks or trademarks of TripAdvisor LLC in the U.S.
and/or other countries. Airfarewatchdog, BookingBuddy and SmarterTravel are
either trademarks or registered trademarks of Smarter travel Media LLC in the
U.S. and/or other countries. Cruise Critic and The Independent Traveler are
either trademarks or registered trademarks of The Independent Traveler, Inc.
in the U.S. and/or other countries. VirtualTourist and OneTime are trademarks
of Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the
property of their respective owners.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix, May 2008

Web site: http://www.tripadvisor.com
http://www.virtualtourist.com
http://www.onetime.com

TripAdvisor, Inc.