European Travel Site Says Q2 Sales Rose, Loss Narrowed

Ebookers said sales for the second quarter ended June 30th climbed to 48.7 million pounds (US$69.3 million), as revenue rose 105 percent to 40.1 million pounds ($57.1 million).

The company's loss before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and stock compensation narrowed to 5.68 million pounds ($8.08 million) from 5.82 million pounds in the same period a year earlier.

Strong in a Weak Quarter

"Despite the second quarter being traditionally the second weakest for travel sales in the UK, Ebookers has reported strong top-line growth while continuing to manage to control costs," said chief executive officer Dinesh Dhamija.

"This demonstrates both the strength of Ebookers' negotiated fare merchant business model, and of the European online travel market as a whole," Dhamija said.

The number of registered users rose to 1.2 million during the quarter from 940,000 at the end of the first quarter, Ebookers said.

Sales Remain Up

Sales in the second half so far are "in line with management targets," Ebookers said. The company expects to narrow its loss before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization to no more than $1.5 million per month during the second half, from about $2.7 million in the second quarter.

Ebookers said it cut operating, administrative, sales and marketing costs during the second quarter, as it reorganized internal functions and moved some operations to India to save money. The company is also offering incentives to travelers who book online in a further attempt to cut expenses.

Beyond Ticketing

Ebookers, which does most of its business selling airline tickets and other products to leisure travelers, said it plans to "effectively position" itself in the markets for business travel and tour packages.

A recent agreement with package-tour operator The First Resort "provides a cost-effective and profitable route for Ebookers" to get into the tour business, and other agreements could follow, the company said.

Ebookers added that it "continues to investigate the possibility of increasing its market reach still further through acquisition or partnership in key markets, although there are no announcements to be made at this stage."

Online Travel Demand

Online travel has proven to be one of the few sectors of the e-commerce economy to hold promise for virtual retailers. In the United States, Travelocity (Nasdaq: TVLY) and Expedia (Nasdaq: EXPE) are being watched as they move toward profitability. Expedia is scheduled to report quarterly results after the close of trading Monday.

Online travel is also growing in Europe, according to a June report from Jupiter MMXI, which said sites like Ebookers have seen a surge in visitors in recent months.

As in the United States, Jupiter said, travelers are checking the sites for information, and are increasingly looking for cheap travel products.