ARC Partners with Expedia, Inc. to Produce Air Travel Trends Study

Report Looks Forward to 2015 and Provides Insights for Air Travelers

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Dec 09, 2014, 11:22 ET

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE), in partnership with Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), today released a study of air travel trends and outlook for 2015. Expedia created Preparing for Take-Off: Air Travel Trends 2015 based on comprehensive ticket data from ARC, Expedia's own information, as well as other credible industry sources.

The report covers topics such as the best time to purchase plane tickets, understanding the value of different seating classes, and what consumers might expect to pay for tickets next year. Overall, the analysis points to a trend of "lower prices, premium value, and a different strategy regarding when to book."

"We were delighted to collaborate with Expedia on this important study as part of ARC's ongoing cooperative data program with customers and partners," said Chuck Thackston, ARC's managing director of enterprise information management. "Though several of the results in this detailed study confirmed ARC's earlier findings, Expedia went deeper with their own expertise and data to produce a well-rounded document."

Preparing for Take-Off: Air Travel Trends 2015 is available free at: http://bit.ly/1w6cjvz

"The combination of increased demand met by with increased capacity, coupled with lower fuel prices means one thing: it's good to be a traveler in 2015," said Greg Schulze, senior vice president, global tour & transport, Expedia, Inc. "Our intent is that travel hacks coming straight from the Expedia air team, like booking your hotel and flight together as a package to save money, will help make sure travelers know when to book, how to buy and where to go."

About ARC:
ARC powers the U.S.-based travel industry with premier business solutions, travel agency accreditation services, process and financial management tools, and powerful data analytics. In 2013, ARC settled $86 billion worth of carrier ticket transactions for more than 9,400 travel agencies with 13,000 points of sale. By providing world-class business services and products, ARC enables participating agencies and 200 carriers to focus on what's important—increasing revenue. Established in 1984, ARC is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. For more information, please visit www.arccorp.com.

About Expedia, Inc.
Expedia, Inc. is one of the world's largest travel companies, with an extensive brand portfolio that includes leading online travel brands, such as:

Expedia.com^®, the world's largest full service online travel agency with localized sites in 31 countries
Hotels.com^®, the hotel specialist with localized sites in more than 60 countries
Hotwire^®, a leading discount travel site that offers opaque deals in 12 countries throughout North America, Europe and Asia
Egencia^®, the world's fifth largest corporate travel management company
eLong^™, a leading mobile and online travel service provider in China
Venere.com^™, the online hotel reservation specialist in Europe
trivago^®, a leading online hotel metasearch company with sites in 49 countries
Wotif Group, a leading operator of travel brands in the Asia-Pacific region, including Wotif.com, lastminute.com.au^®, travel.com.au, Asia Web Direct^®, LateStays.com, GoDo.com.au and Arnold Travel Technology
Expedia Local Expert^®, a provider of online and in-market concierge services, activities, experiences and ground transportation in hundreds of destinations worldwide
Classic Vacations^®, a top luxury travel specialist
Expedia® CruiseShipCenters^®, a provider of exceptional value and expert advice for travelers booking cruises and vacations through its network of 180 franchise locations across North America
CarRentals.com^™, the premier car rental booking company on the web

The company delivers consumers value in leisure and business travel, drives incremental demand and direct bookings to travel suppliers, and provides advertisers the opportunity to reach a highly valuable audience of in-market consumers through Expedia Media Solutions. Expedia also powers bookings for some of the world's leading airlines and hotels, top consumer brands, high traffic websites, and thousands of active affiliates through Expedia^® Affiliate Network. For corporate and industry news and views, visit us at www.expediainc.com or follow us on Twitter @expediainc.

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SOURCE ARC