American Public University System. Expedia Universal Booking System
The distinctive feature of the 21st century is mobility. The speed at which people change their locations is striking, so it is very important for them to take control of their time and resources to ensure the highest results of their actions. In the era of modern computer and mobile technologies, it becomes easier than ever to travel fast and relatively cheap. Internet booking engines started a revolution in the tourist industry and completely changed the way people choose to buy tickets or reserve hotels. Expedia.com is one of the most famous travel websites launched in 1996 by Expedia Inc. (“Expedia - Expedia, Inc.”, 2016). It was developed to help its users book airline tickets, make hotel reservations, rent cars, book cruises, and order various vacation packages via the Internet. To provide the best quality of services for its customers, Expedia.com uses different global distribution systems, such as Amadeus or the Sabre (Vallantin, 2016; “Sabre and Expedia Announce Expedia’s Acquisition of Travelocity “Sabre”, 2015). These actions together with the possibility to offer lower prices and advantageous deals allowed transforming Expedia.com into one of the most popular travel websites in the world.
Characteristics of the Users of the System
Initially, Expedia.com was developed to help the travelers who wanted to manage their trips independently without applying to travel agencies. That is why the website emphasized on its possibility to facilitate booking flights and hotel reservations at very reasonable prices. Currently, in general, the website is helpful for the same group of internet users, consisting of those trying to arrange their trips independently. Nevertheless, except for providing services to individuals, Expedia started a new project for businesses called “Expedia+ business” allowing different companies to enjoy the advantages of corporate service booking (“Get business travel rewards with Expedia+ business | Expedia”, 2016). “Expedia+ business” offers special exclusive benefits and solutions for corporate users, thus expanding the website’s audience.
The network of Expedia.com includes 33 localized websites, and this fact mainly defines the national composition of its users (“Expedia Travel: Vacations, Cheap Flights, Airline Tickets & Airfares”, 2016). The vast majority of visitors come from the United States (71.5%) followed by China (5.3%), Japan (1.1%), the United Kingdom (0.9%), and Saudi Arabia (0.9%) (“Expedia.com Traffic, Demographics and Competitors – Alexa”, 2016). Besides, according to Alexa data (2016), the activities of the site’s audience with college or some college education is above the Internet average indicators, while female visitors are more willing to use this site comparing to males. Taking into account the website’s possibility to look for very different types of activities and destinations, its audience also includes a number of those wishing to travel with their children.
Features and Usage of the System
To register with the system, a user can choose from two options: to create an account with one’s email or sign up with Facebook. The system recommends the latter option because in …
