Expedia, the online travel giant, has announced the launch of its Travel Agent Affiliate Program (TAAP) in the US. The program will now allow travel agents across the US to tap into Expedia’s world wide inventory, and at the same time, earn commissions on bookings.

The scheme was first set up in Italy in 2002 and has since expanded into other European territories, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Expedia is currently the only full-service travel provider operating online to offer the service to travel agents.

Expedia.com’s senior vice president and GM Tim MacDonald said that the company was well aware of how important offline travel agents were to the wider travel community. He added that following the program’s success in other parts of the world, he was extremely pleased to be able to roll the TAAP out in the company’s largest market.

TAAP members will be given access to the same easy booking system that Expedia customers currently enjoy, meaning that they will be able to consult Expedia’s vast inventory of clients. To become a member, all a travel agent has to do is click through the agent access link on the Expedia.com website and register.

The advantage of having access to the Expedia inventory for offline travel agents is that they can do research into the availability of services such as car hire, hotel rooms and flights and then make or confirm bookings for customers in real time. Any bookings made through the program will then earn a commission for the travel agent.