| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 15/05/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 6 |
| Copyright: Other |
US Internet company set for UK launch
US ON-LINE company LastMinuteTravel.com claims travel suppliers will prefer its site to rival lastminute.com’s once it launches in the UK this summer.The Atlanta-based operator advertises late offers on behalf of suppliers and lets them handle the bookings themselves, while lastminute.com operates its own booking system and also collects commission on the product it sells (Travel Weekly May 8).
LastMinuteTravel.com fou-nder David Miranda admitted that its competitor had a high public profile in the UK.
But he claimed: “We believe suppliers will choose our model over their model.
“It’s not just about your consumer base, it’s a matter of who has the confidence of suppliers. Ultimately, we are going to go head to head.”
Miranda believes travel suppliers want to phase out commission altogether, which will pose problems for on-line operators who rely on it.
“Major travel suppliers see the Internet as a way of reducing marketing and distribution costs and they want to drive business to their own sites,” he added.
LastMinuteTravel.com has plans to open a London office with a staff of around 12 within the next two months. The address for the site is www.LastMinuteTravel.com.