Expedia Corporate Travel Launches North Of Border

Expedia today launched Expedia Corporate Travel in Canada, where it combines traditional call center services with online business travel management, and revealed one of its first corporate customers.

Expedia Corporate Travel Canada differs from its corporate U.S. counterpart in several ways. It provides access to such low-cost carriers as WestJet and CanJet, uses Canadian English and is required by law to offer traveler's insurance. "There also are differences between the U.S. and Canadian customer," said Omar Ahmad, director of the Toronto-based company. "Canadian companies tend to be smaller."

Among Expedia Corporate Travel Canada's first customers is World Access Canada Inc., an insurance company based in Kitchener, Ontario, with 260 employees. The company previously used multiple resources, including local travel agencies and the Canadian Expedia consumer site, to book business travel in the past.

"From a management perspective, we're looking forward to the ability to save on our travel expenses through reduced transactions fees and the ability for our travelers to finally be exposed to numerous business travel options," said Nicole Schickler, vice president of strategic partners at World Access Canada. "We can monitor our spend more closely, and keep a close track on how much money we're spending, in addition to where our travelers are going and where they are at any given time."