lastminute.com is first partner to allow customers to set personalised offers through Windows Messenger

Following news that lastminute.com has signed a strategic alliance with Microsoft® Ltd., the online provider of travel and leisure solutions is now the first partner to launch personalised offers for Microsoft® Windows® XP users through Windows Messenger.

lastminute.com will offer users the chance to personalise the newly available messenger 4.5 application on their new desktop operating system, allowing them to receive information on the holidays, hotels, restaurants, tickets and gifts that they have requested. The personalised lastminute.com offer will be available as a default tab on the Messenger 4.5 application. This new version of Messenger will be available in conjunction with the Window`s XP launch on October 25th 2001.

lastminute.com members will also benefit from Microsoft`s Passport authentication service, enabling a faster and simpler log in process, bettering their online experience. The launch of the Passport service is the first phase of lastminute.com`s .NET initiative in partnership with Microsoft.

Brent Hoberman, co-founder and CEO, lastminute.com commented: 
“This is the first of many steps which we are taking with Microsoft and it is of course superb to be the first partner to be able to offer this new application to the many users that are looking to upgrade to Windows XP on the day of launch. In addition to the messenger tab we will also be launching applications for the Windows passport and alerts functions to ensure that Windows XP users can receive the most up to date, personally relevant information as quickly as possible.”

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About lastminute.com

Based on the idea of matching supply and demand, lastminute.com currently offers consumers last minute opportunities to acquire airline tickets, hotel rooms, package holidays, entertainment tickets, restaurant reservations, speciality services, gifts and auctions in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Spain, The Netherlands, Australia and South Africa. In October 2000, lastminute.com acquired the Degriftour Group, one of France`s leading e-travel groups. At 30 June 2001, lastminute.com had 3.5 million subscriber users and had established approximately 8,500 supplier relationships, with companies such as Lufthansa, British Midland, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Forte Hotel Group, Kempinski Hotels, English National Ballet, The Royal Albert Hall and Conran Restaurants.

lastminute.com is the most visited travel website in the UK and France according to a recent survey by Jupiter MMXI, and the only site to appear in the top ten most visited travel sites in the UK, France, Germany, Sweden, Italy and Spain.

About .NET Web services

.NET is Microsoft`s platform for XML Web services, the next generation of software that connects our world of information, devices and people in a unified, personalized way. 

The .NET platform enables the creation and use of XML-based applications, processes, and web sites as services that share and combine information and functionality with each other by design, on any platform or smart device, to provide tailored solutions for organizations and individual people. 

The .NET platform includes a comprehensive family of products, built on industry XML and Internet standards, that provide for each aspect of developing (tools), managing (servers), using (building block services and smart clients) and experiencing (rich user experiences) XML Web services. .NET will become part of the Microsoft applications, tools, and servers you already use today - as well as new products that extend XML Web service capabilities to all of your business needs.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software—any time, any place and on any device.

www.lastminute.com

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