Online travel agent Expedia (news - web sites) Inc. went live on Tuesday with an enhanced set of Web-based services, in the company's largest upgrade under its current ownership, a source familiar with the changes said.
The new features, which Bellevue, Washington-based Expedia plans to announce on Wednesday, are designed to help users customize vacation packages by allowing air ticket, hotel room and car rental purchases in a single transaction.
The upgrade also aims to take advantage of potential synergies with Expedia's new sister company ticket seller Ticketmaster Inc. , which is majority owned by USA Interactive Inc. .
Expedia and Ticketmaster fell under the same umbrella in February when USA Interactive acquired a majority share in Expedia from Microsoft Corp.
Unlike the old Expedia system, where users had to book flights, hotel rooms or cars as independent transactions, the new site lets users choose to book one, two or three of those items in any combination with a single purchase, the source said.
|