Expedia brings rail travel to UK customers this autumn

Announces support from ATOC and RDG to provide booking options on Britain's national rail network

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Jul 18, 2016, 12:00 ET

LONDON, July 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE) today provided an update that its rail offering will be available on the Expedia.co.uk site this autumn. In partnership with SilverRail and supported by the Association of Train Operating Companies and the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), Expedia customers will soon be able to also purchase rail travel throughout Britain alongside the travel options already on offer.

The availability of rail on Expedia.co.uk will mark the first time a global, full-service online travel agency has offered a rail component in addition to other travel products such as air, hotel, car rental, activities and packages.

"Rail presents an extraordinary opportunity for the business in attracting new customers, growing the frequency of site visits, and offering a new transportation option with existing travel purchases. Adding rail will allow travellers to create new types of package holidays, such as combining train travel with a hotel stay, a car hire, or other things to do at their destination," said Greg Schulze, senior vice president, Commercial Strategy and Services at the Expedia group. "We've learned quickly that adding rail to our business is not as easy as copy-pasting our existing booking models. Rail is a unique platform and our partners have been great in ensuring a seamless entrance into the market and delivering high customer value as well."

Kathryn Cooper-Fay, RDG Head of Customer Journey, said, "We want to benefit rail operators and their customers while expanding access to the railway, and offering National Rail products on Expedia through its partnership with SilverRail does just that. We're pleased to support such a strong partnership and we know that Expedia will work diligently to deliver the level of service our customers expect of rail travel retailers."

Phocuswright's 2016 data indicates rail is a $130 billion market opportunity. The global research company also notes rail as the fastest growing sector in travel, thanks in part to recent growth from private and government investment, technology advancements, and convenient access and destinations for travellers.

Customers visiting the Expedia.co.uk site will be the first to be able to book rail travel this autumn. The company has plans to expand to other countries and rail providers in the future.

About the Expedia group

The Expedia group (NASDAQ: EXPE) is the world's largest online travel company, with an extensive brand portfolio that includes leading online travel brands, such as:

Expedia.com®, a leading full service online travel company with localized sites in 33 countries
Hotels.com®, a preeminent global lodging expert operating in more than 65 countries and 35 languages with its award winning Hotels.com® Rewards loyalty program
Orbitz Worldwide, a global travel portfolio including Orbitz, ebookers and CheapTickets brands, and business-to-business offerings including Orbitz Partner Network and Orbitz for Business
Expedia® Affiliate Network (EAN), a global B2B business that powers the hotel business of leading airlines, top consumer brands, online travel agencies and thousands of other partners through its API and template solutions
trivago®, a leading online hotel search with sites in 55 countries worldwide
HomeAway®, a global online marketplace for the vacation rental industry, which also includes the VRBO, VacationRentals.com and BedandBreakfast.com brands, among others
Egencia®, a leading corporate travel management company
Travelocity®, a pioneer in online travel and a leading online travel brand in the US and Canada
Hotwire®, a leading discount travel site that offers Hot Rate® Hotels, Hot Rate® Cars and Hot Rate® Airfares, as well as vacation packages
Expedia® Media Solutions, the advertising sales division of the Expedia group that builds media partnerships and enables brand advertisers to target a highly-qualified audience of travel consumers
Wotif Group, a leading portfolio of travel brands including Wotif.com®, Wotif.co.nz, lastminute.com.au®, lastminute.co.nz and travel.com.au®
Classic Vacations®, a top luxury travel specialist
CarRentals.com^™, a premier online car rental booking company with localized sites in 13 countries
Expedia Local Expert®, a provider of online and in-market concierge services, activities, experiences and ground transportation in hundreds of destinations worldwide
Venere.com™, an online hotel reservation specialist in Europe
Expedia® CruiseShipCenters®, a provider of exceptional value and expert advice for travelers booking cruises and vacations through its network of over 220 retail travel agency franchises across North America

For corporate and industry news and views, visit us at www.expediainc.com or follow us on Twitter @expediainc.

About SilverRail

SilverRail is a mission driven business: to build the digital infrastructure for the rail industry.

The SilverCore platform provides a simple, cost-effective way to implement a complete rail book and ticketing solution. The platform API (SilverAPI) is designed to greatly reduce the complexity involved in selling rail by providing a single, integrated service for shopping, booking, and purchasing tickets.

Used both by distributers like Expedia to access and sell rail in 8+ countries easily and for the carriers themselves to manage their retail operations and own the customer experience.

SOURCE Expedia Group