“British Airways is focused on providing benefits to our customers through our own services and through innovative alliances and industry partnerships,” said Claire Bentley, Managing Director, BA Holidays. “Our affiliation with Viator provides our customers with access to tours and activities that maintain the same standards they have become accustomed to when booking flights, hotels and holiday packages with British Airways and BA Holidays.”

British Airways will be offering Viator’s destination activities to its customers through direct integration in the www.BritishAirways.com purchase path, as well as the popular BAHolidays.com website. Through extensive research and actively managed relationships with local tour operators around the world, Viator maintains a portfolio of high quality traditional and off-the-beaten-path activities that ensure travelers truly experience their destination.

“As British Airways is focused on providing its customers with the best possible experience in air travel, Viator is dedicated to helping travelers get the most out of their journey by providing them with access to experiences they may not be able to find on their own,” said Rod Cuthbert, CEO and founder of Viator. “We are seeing first-hand the trend toward travelers booking their destination activities online in advance of travel, particularly in the UK and Europe, with our sales in the region up nearly 70 percent since 2005. We are excited to be working with British Airways to bring this valuable service to their loyal worldwide customers.”

The trend toward purchasing travel online is continuing to grow internationally, with the UK alone representing 35 percent of the €25.2 billion European online travel market in 2005¹. In addition, 44 percent of UK residents who traveled abroad (by air) in 2005, did so through packaged holidays². By recognizing that inclination for packaged holidays and enabling their customers to pre-book activities such as a Tuscan cooking class, a Parisian gastronomy excursion or a private tour of New York in a classic convertible, British Airways, through its affiliation with Viator, is helping its customers create activity itineraries that meet their needs and preferences, at the best possible prices, enabling them to save time at their destination for the excitement of exploration.

Viator, founded in 1995, is committed to building the most comprehensive selection of destination activities available online. Because of this dedicated focus, Viator’s affiliates – including airlines, hotel companies, car rental companies and online travel agencies – are able to provide their customers with direct access to a robust and reliable offering of tours and activities while maintaining focus on their core business.

¹Trends in European Internet Distribution of Travel and Tourism Services, Centre for Regional and Tourism Research, 26 April 2006
²Office of National Statistics, 2005 International Passenger Survey

About British Airways
British Airways is one of the world's largest international passenger airlines with a fleet of 243 aircraft carrying more than 36 million passengers a year to some 180 destinations in 94 countries. Whether customers are in the air or on the ground, British Airways takes pride in providing a complete travel experience with a reputation for superb performance and customer service. For more information, please visit http://www.britishairways.com.

About Viator
Viator is the world’s leading online resource for travel experiences – the things you do when you get there – providing access to more than 5,000 sightseeing tours, attractions and activities in 450-plus destinations in more than 75 countries, as well as customer reviews, star ratings and the Viator Travel Blog. Viator – the Latin word for traveler – offers online consumers a one-stop shop to plan, research and book trip activities that meet a variety of tastes and preferences, including sightseeing tours, theater tickets, soft adventure trips, attraction passes, wine and culinary excursions, and many “well kept secrets” off the beaten path. Viator’s travel specialists help take the guesswork out of planning by hand-picking respected and trusted local operators to ensure a quality experience, value and service. Viator, founded in 1995, sells its products directly to consumers at www.viator.com and through its growing global network of more than 3,500 affiliates that include major hotel and airline companies, online travel agencies, city-specific sites and more. Viator is headquartered in San Francisco with regional offices in Sydney, London and Las Vegas.

Contact
Kate Sullivan
1-973-568-7589