Expedia.com and the Licensees of Microsoft Travel Technologies Achieve One Millionth-Ticket Milestone

MTT is anchored by Expedia.com, a member of the MSN(TM) network of Internet products and services. Other MTT-licensees include Northwest Airlines (), Continental Airlines (), KLM () and American Express (americanexpress.com/ ) [for its corporate travel product, American Express Interactive (AXI)]. MTT is a platform suite comprising server, applications and content for travel-related services online.

Microsoft also announced that in celebration of the milestone purchase, Expedia.com has awarded the one millionth purchaser, Lee Harold of Arlington, Va., two round-trip, first-class tickets to anywhere Northwest Airlines flies in the continental United States.

Simon Breakwell, travel business unit group manager at Microsoft, said the sale of the one millionth ticket is a win not only for Expedia and other MTT sites, but also for the entire online travel industry.

"This achievement surpasses our most optimistic expectations for success so early in the history of Expedia and MTT," Breakwell said. "This, along with the 40 percent repeat Expedia customer rate, is compelling evidence that our technologies are giving consumers what they want in an online travel service."

Microsoft Travel Technologies is created with Microsoft BackOffice(R) family products including the Windows NT(R) Server operating system and its built-in Web server, Internet Information Server, and Microsoft SQL Server(TM). Microsoft Travel Technologies supports interactive travel within an Internet or intranet environment, using any popular Web browser, and is compatible with the top computer reservations systems.

About Expedia.com

Microsoft Expedia.com is the place to go on the Web to plan travel, purchase tickets, and make hotel and car reservations. Expedia.com offers in-depth destination content and travel news as well as mapping, address finding and direction services. Since its inception in October 1996, Expedia.com has become one of the Web's most successful electronic-commerce sites, with weekly travel sales exceeding $5 million. The Microsoft Expedia.com online travel planning service is part of the Microsoft Expedia family of travel and mapping products and services. These include the Microsoft Expedia Streets 98, Streets 98 Deluxe Edition and Trip Planner 98 CD-ROMs and the Expedia Travel Network, a one-stop travel shopping mall offering vacation packages, cruises, resorts and travel merchandise from leading suppliers.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

NOTE: Microsoft, Expedia, BackOffice and Windows NT 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.