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Expedia to Commence Railway Ticketing in UK This Autumn
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In a bid to expand its breadth of services and address every travel related requirement, U.S.-based online travel agent Expedia Inc. (EXPE - Free Report) has announced that come autumn and it will offer international train ticket-booking service for rail travel in the UK through its web portal www.expedia.co.uk.
To be built in collaboration with SilverRail and supported by the Association of Train Operating Companies and the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), the new feature will enable existing Expedia customers to book online railway tickets in addition to the numerous travel options already listed on the site. Moreover, this will be the first of its kind for a global, full-service online travel agency to offer a rail component alongside its other travel products such as hotel, air, car rental, activities and packages.
Known for its search engine for flights and hotels, Expedia is expected to make its debut in the global market for train bookings (which is estimated to be worth $130 billion) with the UK launch. Additionally, it expects to widen its reach soon afterwards to Germany, the US and the rest of Europe.
The Challenge
In order to dig into the pie, Expedia has to overcome a complex technological challenge.
While online railway tickets have been available for years through operators such as Amtrak in the US and SNCF in France and continental Europe, these were focused primarily on their home turfs. On the other hand, some services have tried aggregating tickets from various train operators such as Trainline for UK rail services and Railteam for tickets to the high-speed railway services throughout Western Europe.
In an attempt to “upsell” alternative travel options to its customers, Expedia is building a global platform where one can purchase rail tickets along with hotel bookings and international flights.
Though Expedia has experimented with rail in the past by offering Eurostar packages in the UK and France, its offering to sell railway tickets solely will be a first for the company.
Competition
Given the fact that there is fierce competition in the online travel market, Expedia faces competition from rivals such as Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL - Free Report) owned Google and The Priceline Group Inc .
Zacks Rank
At present, Expedia has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
A better-ranked stock in the broader technology space is Stamps.com Inc. , sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
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Expedia to Commence Railway Ticketing in UK This Autumn
In a bid to expand its breadth of services and address every travel related requirement, U.S.-based online travel agent Expedia Inc. (EXPE - Free Report) has announced that come autumn and it will offer international train ticket-booking service for rail travel in the UK through its web portal www.expedia.co.uk.
To be built in collaboration with SilverRail and supported by the Association of Train Operating Companies and the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), the new feature will enable existing Expedia customers to book online railway tickets in addition to the numerous travel options already listed on the site. Moreover, this will be the first of its kind for a global, full-service online travel agency to offer a rail component alongside its other travel products such as hotel, air, car rental, activities and packages.
EXPEDIA INC Price
EXPEDIA INC Price | EXPEDIA INC Quote
Market Size
Known for its search engine for flights and hotels, Expedia is expected to make its debut in the global market for train bookings (which is estimated to be worth $130 billion) with the UK launch. Additionally, it expects to widen its reach soon afterwards to Germany, the US and the rest of Europe.
The Challenge
In order to dig into the pie, Expedia has to overcome a complex technological challenge.
While online railway tickets have been available for years through operators such as Amtrak in the US and SNCF in France and continental Europe, these were focused primarily on their home turfs. On the other hand, some services have tried aggregating tickets from various train operators such as Trainline for UK rail services and Railteam for tickets to the high-speed railway services throughout Western Europe.
In an attempt to “upsell” alternative travel options to its customers, Expedia is building a global platform where one can purchase rail tickets along with hotel bookings and international flights.
Though Expedia has experimented with rail in the past by offering Eurostar packages in the UK and France, its offering to sell railway tickets solely will be a first for the company.
Competition
Given the fact that there is fierce competition in the online travel market, Expedia faces competition from rivals such as Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL - Free Report) owned Google and The Priceline Group Inc .
Zacks Rank
At present, Expedia has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
A better-ranked stock in the broader technology space is Stamps.com Inc. , sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>