Travel Republic Press Release - 30th July 2008 - For Immediate Release

TravelRepublic.co.uk Signs GDS Agreement With Worldspan

Langley, UK, 07-30-2008 — Leading online travel agency TravelRepublic.co.uk has signed a three-year agreement with Worldspan, part of Travelport GDS, one of the world's largest global distribution system (GDS) providers, for its GDS product.

The deal marks a further significant milestone for TravelRepublic.co.uk, which has enjoyed phenomenal growth in recent years selling charter, low-cost flights, and accommodation in the short-haul beach market. In 2007, the retailer topped The Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100 list as the UK's fastest-growing privately owned company, with annual sales growth of over 284%. This year it is on course to generate sales worth more than £250 million.

By confirming Worldspan as its sole GDS partner, TravelRepublic.co.uk will have comprehensive access to scheduled airline content, opening up new long-haul and city-break opportunities.

Patrick Lukan, general manager for Travelport GDS, UK & Ireland, commented: "TravelRepublic.co.uk is a real success story and we are delighted they have chosen Worldspan as their GDS partner. The senior management team have a very clear idea of where they want to take the business and we are absolutely committed to helping to further develop their offering through the use of our leading technology and experience in the online space.

"TravelRepublic.co.uk should be congratulated on its significant achievements so far – and we are sure that the strength of the Worldspan GDS product will mean plenty more plaudits will follow soon."

TravelRepublic.co.uk managing director Paul Furner added: "Our focus, to date, has been short haul beach destinations. Our plans are to build a global product offering and to launch the TravelRepublic.co.uk brand in other European markets. The agreement with Worldspan is a hugely important milestone as we work towards achieving these goals. We have been extremely impressed with the Travelport team and look forward to building our relationship with them over the coming months and years."

About Travelport GDS

Travelport GDS is one of the world's largest global distribution system (GDS) providers operating both the Galileo and the Worldspan brands, providing real-time travel information and booking capabilities to online and offline travel agencies in over 145 countries. It also operates Business Intelligence which provides marketing and other critical data to the industry, and includes its Shepherd Systems subsidiary; and IT Services & Software, which offers mission critical reservations, related software and services management to the world's leading airlines. Travelport GDS is a convergence of traditional and online travel distribution services that empower airlines, travel suppliers, travel agencies, Web sites and corporations to provide informed choice to travelers on a global platform. Travelport GDS is a division of Travelport, one of the world's largest service providers to the travel industry.

More information about Travelport GDS is available at www.travelportgds.com

About TravelRepublic.co.uk

  • The TravelRepublic.co.uk website offers charter, low-cost and scheduled airlines, powerful rate shopping technology for hotel rooms and apartments, plus hotel reviews and resort guides written by its customers. Customers can save up to 50% on the price of a comparable package holiday purchased online or on the high street.
  • TravelRepublic.co.uk works with over 100 different flight operators and offers flights to more than 200 destinations in Europe, the Caribbean, Florida and Canada, plus numerous ski resorts and exotic destinations.  The website also offers over 30,000 discounted hotels, apartments and villas plus a wide range of other services such as taxi transfers, airport parking and car hire. The website gives customers complete flexibility with flights, hotels and durations.
  • Other recent TravelRepublic.co.uk achievements include

    • Sep 2007 - TravelRepublic.co.uk appears for the first time in the IMRG-Hitwise Hot Shops List which ranks the UK's top 50 most popular internet retailers, across all sectors.
    • Nov 2007 - TravelRepublic.co.uk is unveiled as the fastest-growing non user-generated content brand online in the UK.
    • Apr 2008 – Winner of Online Agent of the Year award at the Agent Achievement Awards. Winner of Best Online Travel Agency Website and Online Travel Brand of the Year at the Travolution Awards.

Media contacts:

Travelport GDS
Kate Aldridge,
Corporate Communications Director,
EMEA and APAC
tel: +44 (0)1753 288720
e-mail: kate.aldridge@travelport.com

TravelRepublic.co.uk
Louise Prior
Tel: 07786 227572
e-mail: louise@priorpr.com

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