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		back to Press releases Pan-European Online Travel Portal gears up for launch 2 November 2000 Recruitment campaign to build management team Central London headquarters selected Online Travel Portal Limited, the new, independent, pan-European travel portal backed by nine major European airlines, has made considerable progress since its shareholders signed the Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) in August. The shareholders in the joint venture are Aer Lingus, Air France, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, KLM, Lufthansa and Amadeus. As it gears up for launch, the company has begun a pan-European recruitment campaign to build a world class team, increasing its employee base by 60 people right across the company. It has also selected a London site for its European headquarters. Online Travel Portal Limited's objective is to quickly establish itself as the market leader and the first true pan-European travel portal when it launches next year. The site will offer the most comprehensive range of flights to, from and within Europe, as well as complementary products and services for travellers - all with the reassurance that customers are dealing with established brands which they can trust to deliver. The new "dot.corporation", which will combine the start-up culture of a dot.com backed by sound corporate values, has already ear-marked a site in London's West End and expects to move in during late November 2000. European business leaders recently ranked London number one among European cities for online business. (1) The Internet is changing the world of travel, increasing customer expectations of choice, speed and convenience. Online Travel Portal Limited is an important new entrant in this diverse, fast-growing market. Travel is currently the largest online revenue sector in Europe and is forecast to grow from $1 billion in 1999 to $22 billion by 2003. (2) Growing Europe's e-marketplace is a win-win proposition - it drives economic growth and broadens consumer choice. (1) In a survey by property consultancy Healy & Baker, 39% of top European bosses said London was the best-equipped city for Internet-related business and services, far ahead of second-place Frankfurt, with 7% of the vote, and third-place Paris, with 5%. (2) Forrester Research, "Retail's Pan-European Future" (April 2000) Further Information: Opodo News Team Tel: +44 (0)20 7664 7804 email: pr@opodo.com Opodo is owned by: Aer Lingus, Air France, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, KLM, Lufthansa and Amadeus Copyright Opodo 2003