Pegasus Systems Inc. and Visa U.S.A. formed an
alliance in which
Visa becomes the preferred payment card for reservations on TravelWeb,
Pegasus’ travel reservations site for consumers.
Under the terms of the agreement, Visa becomes the exclusive payment card
advertiser and will be designated as the preferred form of payment on TravelWeb, becoming the default payment
method on TravelWeb’s purchasing page.
Visa will also receive prominent branding throughout the site, including fixed
signage on TravelWeb’s homepage and registration page, as well as at the
point-of-purchase. “Splash pages” with additional Visa branding will appear
throughout the site, and the two companies are currently working on their
first joint promotion designed to encourage consumers to use their Visa card
to make travel arrangements on TravelWeb.
“Visa’s sponsorship reinforces the safety and security in shopping for
travel online on TravelWeb,” said John F. Davis III, president and chief
executive officer of Pegasus Systems. “The potential of the Internet is
still emerging,
and we are delighted to have the strength of the Visa brand name partnered
with TravelWeb.”
According to the Travel Industry Association, TravelWeb is one of the six
“mega-sites” that account for 75 percent of all travel-related sales on the
Internet. During the first nine months of 1998, Internet hotel bookings made
through TravelWeb and the sites that are part of Pegasus’ online distribution
network resulted in more than $100 million in
hotel room sales.
TravelWeb provides online hotel and airline reservations, currency conversion,
weather services, interactive mapping and information on close to 26,000
hotels in 170 countries.