AirTran Airways Signs Partnership Agreement with Expedia

ORLANDO, Fla. and BELLEVUE, Wash., April 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Expedia, Inc., the world's largest online travel company (Nasdaq: EXPE), today announced it has signed a marketing and distribution agreement with AirTran Airways (NYSE: AAI), one of the largest low-cost scheduled airlines in the United States offering more than 700 daily flights to more than 60 destinations across the US and the Caribbean.  Under the agreement, AirTran Airways' fares and inventory will continue to be available to the millions of travelers that visit Expedia®, Egencia® and Hotwire® sites in the US each month.

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"Our goal is to make AirTran's products and services available to travelers in ways that meet their needs and in a manner that is consistent with our distribution strategies and cost goals," said Kevin Healy, Senior VP Marketing & Planning, AirTran Airways.  "Our partnership with Expedia gives us access to millions upon millions of travel shoppers each month, effectively marketing AirTran products in a targeted and cost-efficient manner."

"Expedia aims to continually identify opportunities to create value for our customers and our travel partners," said Greg Schulze, Senior Vice President, Global Tour and Transport, Expedia Partner Services Group.  "This partnership with AirTran allows us to continue providing our customers with an extensive selection of travel offerings, while still providing our partner with one easy-to-use marketing and distribution option."

Today's announcement builds on a history of successful collaboration between Expedia and AirTran beginning in 2006.

About AirTran

AirTran Airways is a Fortune 1000 company and has been ranked the number one low cost carrier in the Airline Quality Rating study for the past three years.  AirTran Airways is the only major airline with Gogo Inflight Internet on every flight and offers coast-to-coast service on North America's newest all-Boeing fleet.  Our low-cost, high-quality product also includes assigned seating, Business Class and complimentary XM Satellite Radio on every flight.  

About Expedia, Inc.

Expedia, Inc. is the largest online travel company in the world, with an extensive brand portfolio that includes more than 90 localized Expedia.com®- and Hotels.com®-branded sites; leading U.S. discount travel site Hotwire®; leading agency hotel company Venere.com™; Egencia®, the world's fifth largest corporate travel management company; the world's largest travel community TripAdvisor® Media Group; destination activities provider ExpediaLocalExpert®; luxury travel specialist Classic Vacations®; and China's second largest booking site eLong™. The company delivers consumers value in leisure and business travel, drives incremental demand and direct bookings to travel suppliers, and provides advertisers vast opportunity to reach the most valuable audience of in-market travel consumers anywhere through TripAdvisor Media Group and Expedia Media Solutions. Expedia also powers bookings for some of the world's leading airlines and hotels, top consumer brands, high traffic websites, and thousands of active affiliates through Expedia® Affiliate Network.  (NASDAQ: EXPE)

About Expedia® Partner Services Group

Expedia Partner Services Group (PSG) is the central point of contact for travel supply partners to access the global Expedia marketplace of leading travel brands comprising more than 90 points of sale worldwide.  With hundreds of employees in local markets throughout the world, Expedia® PSG makes it easy for suppliers to meet their global distribution objectives, and delivers a portfolio of innovative connectivity solutions, rate and inventory management tools, business intelligence reports, and online marketing expertise

Expedia and Egencia are registered trademarks or trademarks of Expedia, Inc., in the U.S. and/or other countries.  Hotwire is either a registered trademark or trademark of Hotwire, Inc., in the U.S. and/or other countries.   © 2011 Expedia, Inc.  All rights reserved.  CST: 2029030-50

SOURCE Expedia, Inc.