AirAsia JV a massive boon for Expedia
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Newcomer to the Indian online travel market, Expedia, just got a massive leg-up by partnering Air Asia in a new joint venture company intended to offer a range of flights, hotels, and holiday packages in the Asia Pacific region. The deal, which marks the first partnership of its kind between a low-cost carrier (LCC) and an online travel agent (OTA), will see the formation of a new company to operate Expedia-branded businesses in Japan, India, Southeast Asia and other East Asian markets, as well as AirAsia’s AirAsiaGo and GoRooms businesses. The new venture will have exclusive online third-party distribution rights in the region for AirAsia and AirAsiaX flights and travel packages, meaning that Expedia will be virtually the only place customers will be able to book AirAsia and AirAsia X products in the region, other than the LCC’s own websites. The AirAsia offerings will also enable AirAsia flights to be combined with Expedia’s 130,000+ hotels worldwide, to create a set of packages for Asian customers on both the AirAsiaGo and Expedia sites.In addition, AirAsia and Expedia are partnering to make Expedia the exclusive third party travel provider for the LCC’s inventory, allowing travellers to book AirAsia inventory on any of Expedia’s travel sites worldwide. Barry Diller, Chairman & Senior Executive of Expedia Inc, said; “By partnering with AirAsia, Expedia is taking an important step in developing our global position. This is particularly exciting, given Asia’s influence in the online travel marketplace
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