Priceline.com's Travel Teams Offer Tips For Getting The Best Travel Deals This Summer

So exactly where are the best travel deals this summer? That’s the question priceline.com® (Nasdaq: PCLN) put to its product and regional travel teams to ascertain where and when consumers will get the most bang for their bucks on summer trips. Priceline.com’s travel pros spend countless hours talking with peers in the airline, hotel, rental car and cruise industries, in addition to scanning historical, current and pending travel pricing. Here are some of their personal recommendations on where to find summer travel bargains. HOTELS Texas. Vacationers will find that Dallas and Houston are safe bets all summer for reasonably priced hotel rooms. Deals in Austin and San Antonio will depend on the week. Weekend stays will be less expensive. For reasonable beach getaways, try Galveston, Corpus Christi and South Padre Island. South Carolina. Back-to-school in the state is early (August 22), so the last half of August leading up to Labor Day is quiet and good deals can be found for beach getaways, including Myrtle Beach. Paris. Tourists looking to avoid crowds in the City of Light should plan their vacations from mid-July to the end of August. Scottsdale. Yes, it’s hot, but summer is also when hotel rates and greens fees drop. Golfers can get in nine early in the morning, cool off by the pool, then go out again in early evening. Las Vegas. This gambler’s paradise continues to be a big draw even when the temperatures rise. Visitors looking for an available hotel room at a great price should try to stay mid-week, when a 4-star hotel room can be had for about the same price of a 2- or 3-star on the weekend. Washington, DC. August is the best summer month to visit our nation’s Capitol. With Congress out of session, hotel bargains abound and it’s easy to find a table at a local restaurant. Beat the heat with an air-conditioned visit to one of the many free museums and art galleries. San Francisco. The summer hotel landscape here is a tale of two cities. Downtown, the hotels are usually full of business travelers during the week, so the best prices are often on the weekend. The opposite is true on Fisherman’s Wharf, where weekend room availability is tight. Mexico. July, August – you name it. Anytime this summer, there are hotel and package deals to be had in popular towns like Cancun, Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta. Stay cool with a frozen margarita on the beach. Priceline.com’s Best Summer Name Your Own Price® Hotel Discounts 4-Star Hotels   City/Neighborhood Average Savings vs. Retail*   Miami, South Beach 51% Indianapolis, Downtown 51% New York, Upper Midtown/Central Park South 50% Minneapolis, Downtown 50%   3-Star Hotels   City/Neighborhood Average Savings vs. Retail*   Dallas, Market Center/Love Field 56% Orlando, Airport Area 54% Houston, Brookhollow 53% Chicago, Arlington Heights 53% New York, Midtown West 51% Atlanta, Downtown 51% Los Angeles, Downtown 50%   2-Star Hotels   City/Neighborhood Average Savings vs. Retail*   Orange County, Buena Park/Cerritos 62% Phoenix, Metrocenter 55% St. Louis, Fenton/Kirkwood 53% Orlando, Universal Studios/Seaworld 52% Portland, Downtown 51% * Priceline's Name Your Own Price® hotel reservation service is different from fixed-price travel sites. With Priceline's Name Your Own Price® reservation service, the exact hotel is shown only after purchase. Hotel examples shown are for offers that were available on June 9, 2007 for check-in during July and August 2007 and do not include applicable taxes and service fees. There is no guarantee that hotels or prices will be available. Actual prices and availability are always subject to change. VACATION PACKAGES A vacation package is the secret weapon for a budget-minded leisure traveler. That’s because, by booking a flight and hotel together, travelers can save up to $325, compared to purchasing them separately. The savings figure is based on an internal priceline.com study that examined the price of travel for two passengers booking a flight and hotel together using priceline.com's Vacation Packages compared to booking the same hotel and similar flight itinerary (same travel dates and origin and destination cities) separately on priceline.com. The Vacation Package price yielded a savings of up to $325 over the separate prices of the same hotel and similar flight itinerary. With Priceline vacation packages, customers can choose their exact hotel and see pictures, descriptions, reviews and maps. They also can choose their exact flights and times or, for increased savings, they can let priceline.com pick their flights. Sample Vacation Package Deals Packages shown below were available on priceline.com as of June 27, 2007. Vacation Package prices shown are per-person based on double occupancy and include round-trip airfare and hotel, all taxes and fees. Price and availability can change at any time. There is no guarantee that Vacation Package hotels or prices will be available. Myrtle Beach, $393 per person (8/26 – 8/30), including taxes and fees. Includes round-trip airfare from Boston and 4 nights accommodations at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites, North Myrtle Beach. San Francisco, $421 per person (7/27 – 7/30), including taxes and fees. Includes round-trip airfare from Seattle and 3 nights accommodations at the Parc 55 Hotel. Las Vegas, $433 per person (7/24 – 7/26), including taxes and fees. Includes round-trip airfare from Chicago and 2 nights accommodations at the Luxor Hotel & Casino. New York, $514 per person (8/10 – 8/14), including taxes and fees. Includes round-trip airfare from Boston and 4 nights accommodations at the Roosevelt Hotel. London, $1,321 per person (7/20 – 7/27), including taxes and fees. Includes round-trip airfare from New York and 6 nights accommodations at the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum. AIRLINE TICKETS With the nation’s airlines jam-packed this summer, it is best to shop and buy your airline tickets as soon as possible. The good news for customers is that there are still many opportunities to save money and find great deals on airline tickets for summer travel. Priceline.com is currently running a Summer Flights Sale that runs through Labor Day (September 3, 2007). While the sale is on, priceline.com customers pay no booking fees for published-price airline tickets purchased for travel up to 330 days from date of purchase. Every flight and itinerary is on sale, except those purchased through priceline.com’s Name Your Own Price® service. That means that, in most cases, priceline.com customers will pay less for their tickets than they would at other major online travel reservation services, including Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz and Cheap Tickets. Best Deals on Regular Airline Tickets: Here are some of the best deals on regular airline tickets recently purchased by priceline.com customers. All prices are the total price paid by customers. From   To   Price   Depart   Return Boston Raleigh-Durham $ 128 25-Jul-07 31-Jul-07 Boston New York City $ 140 27-Jul-07 29-Jul-07 Boston Charlotte $ 138 29-Aug-07 1-Sep-07 Chicago Washington, DC $ 172 9-Aug-07 14-Aug-07 Chicago New York City $ 188 9-Aug-07 13-Aug-07 Chicago Detroit $ 98 28-Aug-07 1-Sep-07 Dallas Chicago $ 194 26-Jul-07 30-Jul-07 Detroit Washington, DC $ 138 4-Aug-07 6-Aug-07 Los Angeles Minneapolis $ 198 20-Jul-07 22-Jul-07 Los Angeles Seattle $ 194 23-Aug-07 29-Aug-07 Miami Washington, DC $ 128 10-Aug-07 18-Aug-07 Minneapolis Chicago $ 108 9-Aug-07 10-Aug-07 New York City Chicago $ 198 2-Aug-07 6-Aug-07 Phoenix Denver $ 98 18-Aug-07 8-Sep-07 Washington, DC Atlanta $ 178 2-Aug-07 14-Aug-07 Customers can save even more by using priceline.com’s Name Your Own Price® airline tickets service, which is different from other ticketing services. With priceline.com’s Name Your Own Price® airline tickets service, customers choose the travel dates, airports and price they want to pay for their tickets. If their offer is accepted, they receive their airline and itinerary information after the purchase is completed. For Name Your Own Price® customers traveling after July 15th, top destinations for customer savings include trips to Los Angeles, Washington DC, Chicago, Charlotte and Milwaukee. Additional Important Air Summer Travel Tips For the best deal (and lightest crowds), try to travel on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Priceline also advises customers to check-in as early as possibly on the day of departure for the best chance at an aisle or window seat. Also, get to the airport as early as possible, since security operations will be taxed with the large number of summer travelers. RENTAL CARS The best summer deals for rental cars can be found in the following cities: Los Angeles, Boston, San Diego, Las Vegas, Chicago, San Francisco and Phoenix. Regarding car types, this summer’s best deals will be found with mid-size cars. If the mid-size variety isn’t available, good second choices for the budget-conscious are compact and economy. Priceline.com’s Best Name Your Own Price® Rental Car Deals City Car Type Successful Per-Day Average Savings Offer Price vs. Retail*   Boston Mid-size $17 42% Chicago Mid-size $18 49% Phoenix Mid-size $19 44% San Diego Mid-size $20 47% Las Vegas Mid-size $20 44% San Francisco Mid-size $20 41% Los Angeles Economy $14 42% Las Vegas Economy $11 47% San Francisco Economy $15 42% Chicago Compact $15 46% Boston Compact $15 47% San Diego Compact $14 42% * Priceline's Name Your Own Price® reservation system is different from fixed price travel sites. With Priceline's Name Your Own Price® reservation system, the exact Rental Car company is shown only after purchase. Rental Car examples are shown for offers booked between May 1 and May 22, 2007, with pick up between June 1 and June 15, 2007 and do not include taxes and fees. Actual prices and availability are subject to change. Purchases shown are subject to certain restrictions, and there is no guarantee that a Rental Car offer will be accepted. Rental car savings are not guaranteed and will vary based on offer price, availability and actual itinerary. Savings claims above apply to rental car purchases using Priceline's Name Your Own Price® reservation system only and are compared to published price for the same rental car type and dates. CRUISES A cruise is particularly appealing to the budget-minded, because one low price includes stateroom, sea transportation, most meals and beverages, and onboard entertainment and activities. In addition, many of the largest cruise lines now have ships departing from 23 ports all around the coastal U.S., which provides ample opportunity to drive to the dock and avoid the airfare. The most popular summer season cruise destinations are also polar opposites of each other in terms of landscape and geography. Northern climes such as Alaska appeal to the adventurer who longs to discover the ultimate in nature, while the islands are favored by travelers who look forward to relaxing on beautiful beaches, exploring shipwrecks, and indulging in fresh-caught fare. The best part of a 2007 summer cruise is its price. It’s easy to find a North American cruise for under $100 a night. Below are five sample itineraries of popular sailings: 4 Night Baja Mexico Carnival Cruise Lines - Carnival Paradise Departs From Long Beach (Los Angeles), California visiting Catalina Island, California; Ensenada, Mexico http://www.pricelinecruiseoutlet.com/b/c/sc.asp?d=6/1/2007&d2 =11/30/2008&i=744713&c=1&v=45&cid=22PREEM061420070001ALL * 5 Night Canada/New England Carnival Cruise Lines - Carnival Victory Departs From New York, New York visiting Saint John, New Brunswick; Halifax, Nova Scotia http://www.pricelinecruiseoutlet.com/b/c/sc.asp?d=6/1/2007&d2 =11/30/2008&i=748561&c=1&v=31&cid=22PREEM061420070001ALL * 7 Night Western Caribbean Royal Caribbean - Mariner of the Seas Departs From Port Canaveral, Florida visiting Labadee (Cruiseline Private Island); Ocho Rios, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico http://www.pricelinecruiseoutlet.com/b/c/sc.asp?d=6/1/2007&d2 =11/30/2008&i=841658&c=44&v=417&cid=22PREEM061420070001ALL * 7 Night Hawaii NCL America - Pride of Aloha Departs From Honolulu, Oahu visiting Nawiliwili, Kauai; Hilo, Hawaii; Kailua-Kona, Hawaii; Kahului, Maui http://www.pricelinecruiseoutlet.com/b/c/sc.asp?d=6/1/2007&d2 =11/30/2008&i=847911&c=34&v=435&cid=22PREEM061420070001ALL * 7 Night Alaska/Hubbard Glacier Celebrity Cruises – Infinity Departs From Vancouver, British Columbia visiting Inside Passage, Alaska; Ketchikan, Alaska; Hubbard Glacier; Juneau, Alaska; Icy Strait, Alaska http://www.pricelinecruiseoutlet.com/b/c/sc.asp?=6/1/2007&d2 =11/30/2008&i=853073&c=11&v=55&cid=22PREEM061420070001ALL * * (Due to their length, these URLs may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.) For more information or to book a cruise, visit http://www.pricelinecruiseoutlet.com?cid=22PREEM061420070001ALL or call 1-800-735-8000. About Priceline.com® Incorporated Priceline.com Incorporated (Nasdaq: PCLN) operates priceline.com, a leading U.S. online travel service for value-conscious leisure travelers, and Booking.com, a leading European online hotel reservation service. In the U.S., priceline.com gives customers more ways to save on their airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, vacation packages and cruises than any other Internet travel service. In addition to getting the best published prices, leisure travelers can narrow their searches using priceline.com’s TripFilter™ advanced search technology, create packages to save even more money, and take advantage of priceline.com’s famous Name Your Own Price® service, which can deliver the lowest prices available. Booking.com operates one of Europe’s fastest growing hotel reservation services through its Booking.com network of hotel reservation services, Activehotels.com and priceline.co.uk. Booking.com operates in 54 countries in 15 languages and offers its customers in Europe and the U.S. access to approximately 34,000 participating European hotels. Priceline.com also operates the following travel websites: Travelweb.com, Lowestfare.com, RentalCars.com and BreezeNet.com. Priceline.com also has a personal finance service that offers home mortgages, refinancing and home equity loans through an independent licensee. Priceline.com licenses its business model to independent licensees, including priceline mortgage and certain international licensees. For more information about priceline.com: To book flights http://www.priceline.com/flights/ To book hotels http://www.priceline.com/hotels/ To book rental cars http://www.priceline.com/rentalcars/ To book a vacation package http://www.priceline.com/vacationpackages/ To book a cruise http://www.pricelinecruiseoutlet.com To see our PriceBreakers deals: http://www.priceline.com/pricebreakers To check our travel guides: http://travela.priceline.com/travelguides/ To watch our TV ads: http://www.priceline.com/promo/shatner_pcln_negotiator.asp Other priceline.com affiliated sites include: General travel information and trip planning http://www.mytravelguide.com Travel reservations http://www.lowestfare.com http://www.travelweb.com Rental cars http://www.RentalCars.com http://www.BreezeNet.com European hotels http://www.booking.com http://www.priceline.co.uk