This is the monthly newsletter for the Expedia.com TM travel service, highlighting the latest site information as well as trends in online travel. Expedia.com includes many third-party offers (some restrictions apply). More information on these offers is available at http://expedia.com/ .
What’s New
Expedia.com Most Visited Site for Unprecedented Five Consecutive Months
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For an unprecedented fifth straight month, Expedia.com was the most visited online travel site in August, welcoming nearly 4.4 million visitors, according to Media Metrix. Since Media Metrix began its monitoring, no other travel site has led in reach for five consecutive months.
Fare Compare Additions
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Based on customer feedback, Expedia.com added new features to Fare Compare, the tool that allows consumers to benchmark the airfares they find against the low airfares that other Expedia.com customers find. These new features include the ability to sort by price and select a date range, giving customers more flexibility and making Fare Compare even more useful.
Shop for Ski Vacations on Expedia.com –
http://www.expedia.com/daily/deals/ETN_ski.asp
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Just in time for peak ski season, Expedia.com has added a dedicated Ski Vacations area, accessible from the home page. With one click of the mouse, travelers can choose from ski packages by Ski Travel Online, Aspen Ski Tours, Aspen●Snowmass, Horizon Air and East West Resorts.
Coping With Flight Delays
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Use Expedia.com to reduce the aggravation brought on by flight delays. Before leaving for the airport, go to the Flight Info section to check current flight arrival and departure information. Travelers can also print out an airport survival guide, available for 24 major airports, that highlights restaurants, shopping and other amenities. The airport survival guide is located in the new Business Travel and Family Travel sections.
New Travel Companies Available on Expedia.com
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The recent additions of Holland America Line, SuperClubs Resorts, Mountain Travel, Sobek and Cameraworld continue to diversify the services and products available to travelers on Expedia.com.
Expedia.com Great E-Mail Escape Continues
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Each week through the end of 1999, one lucky subscriber to the Expedia.com free weekly Fare Tracker e-mail low airfare notification service could win a trip to one of his or her three chosen destinations. For a chance to win, customers must subscribe to Fare Tracker, select their city pairs and check their e-mail once a week. The contest is open to residents of the 48 contiguous United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older. Full rules are available at Expedia.com.
Insider’s Advice
Family Travel Advice –
http://www.expedia.com/daily/family/
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Eileen Ogintz, author of the Los Angeles Times syndicated column
“Taking the Kids,”
devotes her October columns to recounting her recent family adventures in Alaska. Read her narrative about cruising Prince William Sound on a fishing boat; encounters with bears, sea otters and eagles; a visit to a naturalist and mother whose office is Denali National Park; scaling icy glaciers; and panning for gold in historic Klondike country. A new article will be posted every Thursday.
Expert Cruise Advice –
http://www.expedia.com/daily/experts/
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Beginning Oct. 19, cruise expert Douglas Ward offers his personal tips for choosing the right ship for travelers of all ages.
Travel Chat Highlights for October –
http://expedia.com/daily/community/
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The best cruise I ever had.
Compare notes with fellow cruise travelers about memorable moments on the ship and in port. Oct. 6, 7-8 p.m. PDT -
Walt Disney World’s millennium.
Chat with theme park experts Gary and Valerie Bungart for up-to-the-minute details on Walt Disney World’s millennium celebration. Oct. 11, 6-7 p.m. PDT -
Scenic America Online.
Discuss where to find the most scenic and picturesque webcam locations for viewing North America. Oct. 13, 6-7 p.m. PDT -
Solo adventure travel chat. Learn the options available from Expedia.com experts and fellow travelers for solo adventure travelers. Oct. 21, 6-7 p.m. PDT
360 Degree Tour of Caribbean’s Dominica Island –
http://www.expedia.com/daily/placestogo/
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View the mountainous, tropical paradise of Dominica, located in the Caribbean Winward Islands, with this 360 degree tour. Observe a fishing skiff and beautiful stone church located in palm tree-lined Soufriere Bay starting Oct. 7. The accompanying
“Plan This Trip”
article covers Dominica’s sights, lodging, scuba diving and assorted activities.
Best Places – http://www.expedia.com/daily/placestogo/
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British Columbia, Canada. Learn about the majestic ski slopes located throughout this Canadian province. Discover favorable rates and uncrowded slopes at the European-inspired Whistler/Blackcomb, the intimate interior areas and the world-class powder of the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia beginning Oct. 11. Click on the Plan This Trip link to book the trip, learn more about activities and link to local tourism Web sites.
Slide Show of New York –
http://www.expedia.com/daily/placestogo/
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Take a multimedia tour of the Big Apple beginning Oct. 18. Click on the slide show feature to view images from around the city, from its breathtaking architecture to the bright lights of Broadway. The accompanying Plan This Trip article highlights prime New York sights, lodging, restaurants and shopping.
Travel News –
http://www.expedia.com/daily/travnews/
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Halloween. Read about Salem, Mass., and its place in American history for the Salem witch trials just in time for Halloween. Learn more about the attractions and sites that make this a frightfully good travel destination.
Top 10 Destinations Booked Online With Expedia.com
Where are travelers on the Internet going? The following is a list of the hottest destinations booked on Expedia.com from Aug. 15 through Sept. 15, 1999:
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New York City
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Chicago
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Washington, D.C.
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San Francisco
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Orlando, Fla.
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Los Angeles
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Atlanta
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Las Vegas
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Boston
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Dallas
About Expedia Inc.
The main online component of Expedia Inc., Expedia.com online travel service ( http://expedia.com/ ), is the leading place to go on the Web to find the right trip at the right price. People can book air, car and hotel reservations as well as find vacations, cruises and other travel options. Along with booking travel, Expedia.com helps people plan their trips with in-depth destination information, travel news and mapping services.
Expedia.com leads the online travel industry in sales and customer traffic. Expedia.com was the most visited online travel site for the five months from April through August 1999 including each month of the second quarter of fiscal year 1999, according to Media Metrix, with nearly 4.4 million visitors in August alone.
Second-quarter sales surpassed $183 million, more than triple the sales for the same period in 1998. Expedia.com has been recognized as the top online travel site by such prestigious publications as PC Magazine, PC World, PC Computing, Macworld, Computerworld and Brill’s Content.
A credit card guarantee is offered on Expedia.com (U.S. version only) to protect credit cards used on the Internet from fraud. With this service, after customers use their credit cards for an initial purchase on Expedia.com, the 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. Expedia.com also offers exceptional customer service, with more than 200 travel representatives and travel agents available via a toll-free number and e-mail 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Expedia.com is also available under Travel on MSN.com.
Microsoft, Expedia.com and MSN.com 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.
