Priceline 
American Forces Travel to Feature a Worldwide Assortment of Extraordinary Deals on Flights, Hotels, Vacation Homes, Rental Cars, Cruises and Packages
The United States Department of Defense today officially introduced American Forces Travel (www.americanforcestravel.com), a new leisure travel site it created with Priceline. American Forces Travel was developed for current and retired members of the U.S. military and their families, along with DoD civilians. It is a unique and unprecedented travel service: a global collection of exceptional deals, assembled in a single place and available only to the United States military community. American Forces Travel was developed to ensure that when authorized members book personal travel, they will have ready access to the best deals that the global travel industry has to offer.
American Forces Travel is a full-service travel booking platform. It features the world’s most popular hotel, flight, car rental and cruise brands. More than a million hotel deals will be available in more than 71,000 destinations around the globe. The site will also offer privately negotiated deals on flights and rental cars, as well as vacation homes, apartments, cruises, vacation packages and more. American Forces Travel deals are accessible because of the site’s exclusivity to the military community and are only available to those who are serving, or have retired from service, in the United States military.
The Department of Defense (DoD) ranks among the world’s largest employers, with some 1.3 million people in active service around the world. Until now, leisure travel was typically handled by travel agents on military bases. The DoD chose to create a new online platform that was modern, fast and widely accessible, and to populate the site with the broadest and deepest collection of travel deals as a way to thank the military community for their service.
Priceline was selected at the end of a competitive bidding process among many of the largest online travel agencies. Priceline’s enduring relationships with travel brands the world over, its experience in negotiating special deals with those partners, and the company’s twenty years of online travel expertise promise to make this offering successful for all. This site is the result of a joint service initiative among the five branches of America’s armed forces – the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard – along with the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
“American Forces Travel was developed for a simple reason. The people who support the United States of America through military service have earned access to the world’s most exclusive travel deals,” said Brett Keller, Priceline’s CEO. “We were thrilled to be selected by the Department of Defense, and have worked closely with them over the past year to bring the site to life.”
American Forces Travel will also feature “package” or “bundled” booking options – a way for users to save even more when they travel. A bundled booking combines private rates that are typically only accessible in a package. The savings can run into the hundreds of dollars, which would not be available if a traveler booked each travel element independently.
All transactions on American Forces Travel will generate a commission that will support Quality of Life programs within each service branch.
Eligibility Verification
Today, American Forces Travel is open to all military and military affiliated personnel who are eligible to use Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs. First-time users will be asked to verify their eligibility with the Department of Defense. Once verified, they are free to use the site to book discounted travel around the world. The verification process is secure and requested information will not be retained.
About Priceline
Priceline, part of Booking Holdings Inc. [NASDAQ: BKNG], is a leader in online travel deals. Priceline offers travelers smart, easy ways to save on hotel, airline, rental car reservations, packages and cruises. With access to more than a million lodging properties of all type, consumers can find the right accommodations, as well as free cancellations and the option to pay upon arrival. Priceline’s Express Deals® offer exclusive savings without bidding, and our Name Your Own Price® service delivers the lowest hotel prices available on Priceline.com. With Priceline, travelers can save at every stage, freeing them up to travel more and travel better.
