Expedia Awarded Best-in-Class Honors

Nearly Half of Adults Staying With Relatives During the Holidays Would Prefer to Stay in a Hotel for at Least Part of Their Stay

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Expedia (R) Corporate Travel VIP Agents Offer Tips to Make Any Business Traveler a VIP

You don't have to be CEO to travel like one, say Expedia (R) Corporate Travel's VIP agents. In fact, some executive-style perks can be yours for the mere asking.

"Ask, ask, ask -- and do it nicely," says Holly Davis, VIP agent for Expedia (R) Corporate Travel, the world's No. 1 on-demand, full-service corporate travel agency.

"The people behind the counter at the airline, the hotel, and the rental car agency hold your travel fate in their hands. Treating them nicely and asking politely are sometimes all it takes to get a better seat or bigger room."

Executives often get preferential treatment because they're willing to pay for it and because they rely on the expert counsel of Expedia Corporate Travel pros like Davis, who know how to get first-class perks that not every traveler knows about.

"There are lots of little things that we do to make executives' travel plans go smoothly," she says. "We have contacts that allow us in certain situations to ask for upgrades and confirm late arrivals at the hotel. We know that the first flight of the day is most likely to be on time and we're able to explore different modes of transportation so the executive gets where he or she needs to be most efficiently and comfortably."

These tips from Expedia Corporate Travel may help you travel like a VIP:

Collect air miles through just one or two frequent flyer programs.

Racking up a few thousand miles through a dozen different airline programs won't get you anywhere. Instead, determine which airlines you fly most often and who their air, hotel, and travel partners are.

By consolidating your mileage, you may work your way more quickly to free tickets, better seat assignments, and class upgrades. Airlines often offer express check-in to elite-level mileage members and you will gain leverage when dealing with the airline's customer service department if you ever run into a problem.

If you usually fly from the same airport on the same airline, take the time to recognize personnel. Ditto with hotel employees. Check-in staff often hold the power to decide who gets upgrades and who doesn't.

Look the part. If a seat opens up in first class, you may be more likely to get bumped up if you're not wearing thread-bare jeans and old tennis shoes.

Paying out of your own pocket for an upgrade to first-class may be money well spent. If your company pays for a coach fare, find out how much more a first-class ticket would be. Sometimes the price of an upgrade is as little as $40 or $50.

Know that taking a limousine may be cheaper than a cab - especially when you factor in the time you'd spend waiting in the taxi line at the airport.

Consider using a car service if you've got appointments at multiple locations within a metropolitan area; it may be less expensive than a cab or a rental car and you won't have to worry about directions or parking.

Check with clubs and associations to which you belong to see if they have any programs through which you can get perks like special seating, hotel upgrades, or access to VIP lounges.

Don't assume corporate travel agencies only serve Fortune 500 companies. Even the tiniest of companies can benefit from the expertise and experience of professional agents

For more information about Expedia(R) Corporate Travel and our agents call 1-866-328-0110.

Expedia, Inc. Employees Choose Charitable Grant Recipients; Community Grant Program awards causes that matter to Expedia employees

Expedia.com(R), the Bellevue-based, world leading online travel service, today announced that it has awarded charitable grants to five local non-profits through its community grant program. The program, which gives Expedia(R) employees the opportunity to nominate and vote on local charities to receive grants, was designed to encourage employee engagement in the community and provide Expedia employees a greater role in Expedia's corporate giving programs. The five local charities selected for the community grants were:

• Autism Spectrum Treatment and Research Center
  Community for Youth, a one-on-one mentoring program pairing Seattle high school students with adult mentors
• Gilda's Club, a meeting place providing social and emotional support to people living with cancer and their families and friends
• Interfaith Hospitality Network, a program designed to help homeless families with children get off the streets and into their own housing
• Treehouse, which serves King County foster children through educational and enrichment programs.

Each of the charities received $5,000 grants at a reception on Expedia's Bellevue campus last month.

To nominate an organization, Expedia employees are required to submit a proposal explaining the organization's mission. Bellevue employees nominated 16 organizations in April, the third time Expedia has made the grants.

In addition to the community grant program, Expedia's community relations program consists of supply partner-requested grants, local event sponsorships, employee matching gifts, employee-run volunteer activities and cause-related marketing

About Expedia (R) Corporate Travel
Expedia Corporate Travel is the No. 1 on-demand, full-service travel agency based on the total number of customer bookings through a single source including online and agent assisted. Operated by Expedia, Inc., the world's leading online travel service and the fourth largest travel agency in the United States, Expedia Corporate Travel brings together the best of technology and corporate support in a single-source solution that drives down costs. Business travelers have access to specialized tools, while companies can take advantage of rich management and reporting features. Expedia, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ:IACI) . CST: 2029030-40

Source: Expedia(R) Corporate Travel
(Story 1:) BELLEVUE, Wash., June 8, 2005 /PRNewswire/ --
(Story 2) BELLEVUE, Wash., July 1, 2005 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

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