MSN Expedia Hits Record $16 Million in Weekly Sales

REDMOND, Wash., April 14, 1999 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that the MSN
™
Expedia
™
travel service ( http://expedia.com/ ) continues to set records with $16 million in sales for the week of April 4, the highest reported weekly sales figure for the online travel industry.

“Reaching the $16 million milestone so quickly highlights our leadership in the industry along with our incredible momentum and growth,”
said Richard Barton, business unit manager, MSN Expedia.
“Jumping from $10 million a week in January to this latest benchmark in less than three months shows that more and more consumers are trusting Expedia to give them the best travel choices in a secure and easy-to-use environment. We expect the growth to continue and to be reflected in our sales.”

MSN Expedia attributes much of its explosive growth this year to the quality and reliability of the site, along with compelling promotions and publicity generated by
“best travel Web site”
awards.

In March, for example, MSN Expedia began a promotion with American Airlines that has been driving tremendous traffic to the site. Through the promotion, which runs through April 18, travelers buying an American Airlines ticket through MSN Expedia receive 50 percent off their next American Airlines ticket purchased on the site (certain offer restrictions apply).

In the April 6 issue of PC Magazine, Expedia won the Editors’ Choice Award for best leisure travel Web site for its ease of use and broad range of options. The site was also honored in April by Macworld as Best Travel Site and named by Brill’s Content as among the best of the Web for travel.

After recording the highest reported weekly sales total for an online travel site in 1998 – $8.5 million in December – Expedia got off to a quick start this year by eclipsing the
$10 million weekly sales mark by mid-January. Since then, sales have continued to climb each week. The record totals on MSN Expedia include sales of airline tickets, car rentals and hotel rooms.

About MSN Expedia Travel

MSN Expedia ( http://expedia.com/ ) is the place to go on the Web to easily plan travel, purchase tickets, and make hotel and car reservations. MSN Expedia offers in-depth destination content and travel news as well as mapping, address-finding and direction services. MSN Expedia is also one of the Web’s most successful e-commerce sites, with weekly travel sales currently exceeding $15 million.

A credit card guarantee is offered on MSN Expedia (U.S. and Canadian versions only) to protect credit cards used on the Internet from fraud. With this service, after an initial purchase on Expedia, customers’ credit cards are protected from fraud liability – up to $50 (U.S.) – on any purchases made in the subsequent 12 months on or off the Internet. Since the program’s introduction in June 1998, Microsoft is proud to state that, because of the top-level site security, the service remains unused. MSN Expedia also offers exceptional customer service with travel agents available via a toll-free number to answer questions and provide assistance to travelers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Microsoft, MSN and Expedia are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.

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