Expedia
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| File:Expedia logo.svg The logo for Expedia.com | |
Type of site | Internet booking engine |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Owner | Expedia, Inc. |
| URL | expedia.com |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Yes |
| Launched | July 16, 2001 |
| Current status | Active |
Expedia is an online travel company initially launched in October 22, 1996 as the first Microsoft internet property. The initial team was composed of Greg Slyngstad, Group Manager; Richard Barton, Group Product Manager; Soraya Bittencourt, Group Program Manager; and Byron Bishop, Group Developer Manager. In 2001, Bill Gates decided to spin off the property to become a public company and raise the financial portfolio of Microsoft. Rich Barton became its CEO and Lloyd Frink who used to work for Richard at Microsoft joined the now independent company. As an Internet-based travel website company with headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, USA. It also has localized sites for: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, UK, US, and Vietnam.
It books airline tickets, hotel reservations, car rentals, cruises, vacation packages and various attractions and services via the World Wide Web and telephone travel agents. The site uses multiple global distribution systems like Amadeus or the Sabre reservation systems for flights and for hotels, Worldspan and Pegasus, along with its own hotel reservation system for contracted, bulk-rate reservations. This last is shared with other Expedia, Inc. sites.[2]
History
Expedia was started by Microsoft and Zeeshan and it later spun off as a multibillion-dollar company because it was "no longer about software intensive technology" and they were "concerned that they would not do their best at this."[3]
In July 2001, USA Networks, Inc. bought Expedia from Microsoft.[4]
In December 2010, listings for AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines and American Eagle Airlines, were removed from Expedia's site. The decision resulted from a dispute over the degree of access to the site's customers.[5] AMR reversed its decision in April 2011, allowing tickets to once again be sold through the aggregate site.[citation needed]
In June 2014, Expedia started accepting bitcoins.[6]
In September 2014, Expedia partnered with Citigroup and created the Expedia+ card where members can earn bonus points and earn benefits and priority customer service through the website.[7]
References
- ^ "Expedia.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
- ^ Expedia GDS hotel description
- ^ Microsoft Announces Expedia Online Travel Service Initial Public Offering
- ^ "Expedia.com USA NETWORKS, INC. ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT TO PURCHASE CONTROLLING STAKE IN EXPEDIA, BECOMING A LEADER IN INTERACTIVE TRAVEL - Expedia Viewfinder". Expedia Viewfinder. 2001-07-16. Retrieved 2016-03-24.
- ^ (CNN Wire Staff) (January 3, 2011). "Online travel site Expedia removes American Airlines flights". CNN. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ Expedia Now Accepts Bitcoin For Your Crypto-Vacations
- ^ Expedia+ Card From Citi.
Further reading
- Alexander, Todd (2012). Everyday Internet at Any Age. Hachette UK. pp. (Chapter 8). ISBN 0733629717. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- Barr, Alistair (January 21, 2014). "Expedia hit by big drop in Google search traffic". USA Today. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - Tims, Anna (March 29, 2014). "Expedia needs to speed up £2,500 refund for flights". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)
