CNN Interactive to launch Reservation Desk, on-line travel booking service, in conjunction with Internet Travel Network.

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 16, 1997--CNN Interactive announced today that it will launch by May 1 its own on-line travel booking service, called Reservation Desk, for consumers to make on-line air, car and hotel reservations.

Reservation Desk (reservationdesk.com) is being set up in partnership with Internet Travel Network (ITN) (www.itn.net), who is providing the site's backbone and ticketing fulfillment. CNN Interactive's popular travel section, TravelGuide (CNN.com/Travel), will link directly to Reservation Desk for users to book travel.

Internet users around the world who access Reservation Desk will be able to book airline tickets, make car and hotel reservations in real-time and then purchase these services securely with their credit card. Using the ITN system, travelers can search fares in a variety of ways including by price range, hotel chain or a general search.

Visitors will have access to ITN's Low Fare Ticker, a Java-based applet that scrolls the best airfare bargains and then lets users book their trips at the Reservation Desk according to availability.

Internet Travel Network pioneered on-line travel in 1995 when it became the first company ever to provide Web-based reservations functionality to consumers on its own web site. Soon after, the company developed its Private Label system, which allows companies to brand the ITN engine under their own banner and which today is the backbone for over 90% of all travel reservation sites on the Internet.

"Due to our extensive multimedia travel content and our trusted brand name, CNN Interactive's TravelGuide has proved to be immensely popular with Internet users," says Harry Motro, senior vice president, CNN Interactive. "It was, therefore, natural to offer this on-line reservation service to our customers using ITN, the leader in on-line travel reservations technology."

"We're delighted to be working with CNN Interactive and feel that there is a mutual affinity between our two companies in providing creative and interactive information and technology to Internet consumers who use the Internet to make travel arrangements," said ITN CEO Ken Swanton.

CNN Interactive will provide a one-stop shop for travelers looking for both destination information and the chance to purchase travel services. CNN's Reservation Desk will give CNN users the ability to plan and book trips to the destinations and cities that they have read about on the CNN Interactive web site or have seen on CNN's weekly television program, CNN TRAVELGUIDE.

Reservation Desk will include advertising space for advertisers targeting on-line travelers. This space will be offered by Turner Broadcasting Sales Inc., the advertising sales arm of Turner Broadcasting System Inc., which covers all broadcast and interactive Turner properties. The new Web site will be marketed through the CNN News Group, which currently reaches half a billion people through 218 million outlets around the world.

CNN Interactive's travel section offers users daily news affecting both the leisure and business traveler. The section offers an unmatched breadth of multimedia elements to enhance its travel coverage. More than 80 destinations are featured in the new section; with maps and guides for all 50 U.S. states, more than 85 countries, and select major cities worldwide.

CNN's correspondents around the globe send TravelGuide their "Postcards from the Field." A seasonal ski section also offers up-to-the-minute condition reports for more than 300 U.S. ski reports. Further, TravelGuide aids travelers with its travel resource center "Getting Ready" and its links to other high-quality Web sites.

The CNN travel site works closely with CNN's travel unit that produces the television program CNN TRAVELGUIDE. CNN TRAVELGUIDE features travel trends of the '90s; theme programs such as "Lighthouses Across the U.S." and "Coastal Villages," highlights from out-of-the-ordinary locales and profiles of people in very special places.

The program regularly reports from one location giving travelers an in-depth look at the latest information and activities available at that specific destination. CNN TRAVELGUIDE airs Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and Sundays at 4:30 p.m. on CNN. The program can also be seen on CNN International and the Airport Network.

About CNN Interactive

CNN Interactive provides news from around the world with the same accuracy, fairness and speed that viewers expect from all of CNN's news services. The division's products include: the CNN Interactive web sites, which receive 23 million page views per week; the CNN Interactive/PageNet pager news and information service, a groundbreaking alliance that delivers up-to-the-minute stories to alphanumeric pagers; and CNN Interactive Intercast programming, the most watched Intercast channel by a 2-to-1 margin.

CNN Interactive's complete coverage of news, sports and weather is made possible by CNN's 31 bureaus and more than 3,500 experienced news professionals worldwide.

About Internet Travel Network

Internet Travel Network (ITN) provides complete travel reservation services over the Internet to consumers, corporate and leisure travel markets. Providing air, car and hotel reservations on the Web, ITN enables fast, fun and easy-to-use booking systems for travelers.

ITN's system interconnects with existing major travel reservation systems for speed, accuracy and reliability around the clock. ITN's customers include Travel and Transport, Ticketmaster Corporation, Global Online Travel and Associated Travel Services, Inc. ITN's corporate customers include Texas Instruments, VeriFone, Schering Plough, World Bank and many others. The company is privately held and headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif. ITN's public service is located on the World Wide Web at http://www.itn.net. -0-

Note to Editors: For complete details about ITN, the company and the products, please refer to http://www.itn.net/agency.

CONTACT: Internet Travel Network

Joe Witherspoon, 415/614-6319

[e-mail]

or

CNN Interactive

Kerrin Roberts, 404/827-5340

[e-mail]