Expedia.com Expedia Inc. and MSN Team to Deliver Real-Time Travel Information Via Web-Enabled Phones & Handheld Devices
NEW ORLEANS AT CTIA'S WIRELESS 2000, Feb. 28, 2000 – Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE), the leader in online travel planning, today announced it has taken its next leap toward providing the most comprehensive service to travelers anytime, anywhere. Beginning in April, Expedia.com will deliver flight status, travel itinerary information and driving directions to Web-enabled cellular phones via MSN Mobile Service 2.0, the interactive customizable wireless information service from MSN.
According to Yankee Group, by 2004 there will be more than a half-billion Internet accounts and roughly 1 billion digital wireless phone subscriptions. Additionally, Forrester Research, Inc. estimates that, by that same year, $32.1 billion will be spent online for U.S. leisure travel alone.
“People using mobile devices are on the move. They are travelers,” said Richard Barton, CEO of Expedia, Inc. “Utilizing MSN Mobile, Expedia.com is extending its travel service beyond the PC and into the pockets of the millions of customers we touch every month, enabling them to access real-time travel information when they need it most—while they are traveling.”
With the new wireless capabilities, Expedia.com is putting travel information literally at their customers' fingertips. With a simple touch of a keypad button, travelers can use their Web-enabled phone or handheld device to view their itinerary, check the status of their flight, or use Expedia Maps to get driving directions to their next business meeting.
More than 56 million users of the MSN Hotmail e-mail service will be able to access the Expedia.com travel service, as well as other leading MSN services such as MSNBC news updates and MoneyCentral stock quotes—all from their Web-enabled cellular phones and handheld devices. Because MSN Mobile 2.0 is seamlessly integrated with the services and content from MSN, users will connect to the Internet from their Web-enabled phones or handheld devices and can view all the information they need with a few simple clicks.
“Offering consumers the ability to access real-time travel information through the Expedia.com travel service is a big win for MSN, carriers, and consumers,” said Yusuf Mehdi, director of marketing in the Consumer Group at Microsoft Corp. “The enhancement to MSN Mobile as a two-way customizable service brings MSN one step closer to its Everyday Web vision by offering users information they need anytime, anywhere, and from any device.”
About Expedia, Inc.
Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) operates Expedia.com, a leading travel Web site in the United States with localized versions for travelers in Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom. To help customers Travel Right, Expedia.com provides the best combination of air, car, and hotel booking, vacation package and cruise offers, destination information, and point-to-point mapping.
Expedia.com customers are supported by a credit card guarantee (U.S. site only), privacy policy, and live agents via e-mail and a toll-free telephone number available 24 hours a day/seven days a week. Expedia.com is also available under Travel on the MSN™ network of Internet services.
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