Ryanair Terminates Expedia Hotel Deal

[White Cap]

Ryanair News
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

News Release
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

14.10.08
Ryanair Terminates Expedia Hotel Deal
DUE TO EXPEDIA’S FAILURE TO HONOUR PAYMENT TERMS

Ryanair, Europe’s biggest low fares airline today (14th Oct) confirmed that it has given 30 days notice to Expedia that its hotel contract will end following Expedia’s failure to honour payment terms. Ryanair entered into the agreement with Travelscape LLC (the parent of Expedia) on the 21st March 2007. This agreement gave Expedia exclusive rights to sell hotel accommodation on Ryanair.com (Europe’s largest travel website) and gave Expedia on-line access to Ryanair’s 58m annual passengers.

While the contract operated satisfactorily in its early stages, Expedia has been in breach of a number of its payment obligations in recent months and despite strenuous efforts on Ryanair’s part to resolve the situation, particularly to regularise the agreed payments, Expedia has failed to remedy its defaults or honour these contractual obligations. Consequently, Ryanair has now given Expedia notice of its intention to end this contract with effect from the 8th November 2008.

Commenting on this decision, Ryanair’s Michael Cawley, said:

“Ryanair offered Expedia the unique opportunity to exclusively access its 58 million passengers through Europe’s largest travel website, Ryanair.com. Regrettably, Expedia has failed to honour key obligations under this agreement, in particular its payment terms, and our attempts in recent months to get Expedia to resolve these breaches, have failed so we now have no alternative but to give them notice.

We have already received approaches from a number of other hotel providers across Europe and expect to have a replacement partner up and running before the end of the year so that hotel accommodation can continue to be available on Europe’s biggest travel website, http://www.Ryanair.com, at the lowest prices to 58m consumers who already enjoy Europe’s guaranteed lowest fares.

Should Expedia remedy its breach within the 30 day period, Ryanair will continue the partnership.”