Expedia Corporate Travel is launching into Canada.
Businesses and business travellers using Expedia Corporate Travel can achieve
greater savings and the ability to ensure compliance with company travel
polices.
  Currently, Expedia Corporate Travel’s United States-
based customers are averaging an online adoption rate of more than 85 percent.

  Expedia Corporate Travel has been successful at growing a base of
customers around the world.  In Canada, it has been operating a preview
version of the product to solicit feedback.  World Access Canada Inc., an
insurance company based in Kitchener, ON, has joined as one of the first
customers.
  “Being familiar with Expedia.ca, our employees are excited that they will
now have the availability to use a site especially designed for the business
traveller, said Nicole Schickler at World Access Canada Inc.  “From a
management perspective, we’re looking forward to the ability to save on our
travel expenses through reduced transaction fees and the ability for our
travellers to finally be exposed to numerous business travel options.”
  Omar Ahmad, one of the founders of Expedia, Inc.‘s Canadian leisure travel
site, Expedia.ca, will lead product development, marketing, supplier
relations, operations and sales efforts as managing director of Expedia(R)
Corporate Travel Canada. Ahmad, who has nearly 20 years of travel industry
experience, was most recently director of supplier relations and travel
operations for Expedia.ca.  Prior to that, he held executive positions for
American Express Travel’s global supplier relations group and also owned and
operated a Canadian travel agency.
  “Expedia(R) Corporate Travel Canada takes the ease of use and familiarity
of Expedia.ca, Canada’s leading full-service online travel agency, and fuses
it with the best management tools from our Corporate Travel operations in the
U.S. and around the world,” said Ahmad. “We’ve learned the ideal solution for
corporate travel provides both unmatched technology, as well as full-service
capabilities in a fully integrated and easy-to-use solution, with a simple
pricing structure.”
  Expedia Corporate Travel’s entry into the Canadian market highlights its
ongoing strategy to build and implement a global travel management technology
and services platform. “The launch of Expedia Corporate Travel in Canada is
another important step in helping our customers manage their travel on a
global basis”, said Cheryl Rosner, President, Expedia Corporate Travel
Worldwide. “We will continue to expand our business to match where our current
and potential customers are located across the globe”
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