Copa Airlines announces the launch of its mobile site m.copaair.com, which provides passengers access to the major functions of the airline’s web site, copaair.com, including electronic boarding passes that can be accessed from smartphones or other portable electronic devices. Copa is the first airline to offer this service in Latin America.

Expedia, Inc. said it is planning to spin off TripAdvisor as separate company. Both Expedia, Inc. and TripAdvisor would then be publicly traded companies. Expedia, Inc. will continue to include the domestic and international operations of the company’s travel transaction brands, including Expedia.com, Hotels.com, eLong, Hotwire, Egencia, Expedia Affiliate Network, CruiseShipCenters, Venere, Classic Vacations and carrentals.com.

VAX VacationAccess has released a new round of enhancements for its 100,000-plus travel agent users, including improvements to VAX Virtual University, a Global Media Library, improved registration and password reset processes, and intuitive airline feature inclusions.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is to soon launch a new website, www.priorityclub.com. The company says the site will be rolled out globally by late April; the only online booking site where members get rewarded with Priority Club points for their hotel stays

Travelocity’s iPhone application, one of the first introduced by an online travel company, now helps on-the-go travelers find discounted hotel rates in the eleventh hour using Top Secret Hotels. The Top Secret Hotels service offers an easy way to shop hotels and find unpublished rates that are up to 55 percent off Travelocity’s regular rates for the same top hotels on the same day.

Expedia.com, the online travel agency, announced the upcoming launch of Expedia Hotels, a free iPhone and iPod touch app developed to give travelers an intuitive, quick way to research, filter and book hotel rooms from their mobile device. This is the first app introduced by Expedia since the company acquired Mobiata, the mobile travel apps powerhouse, in November 2010. Expedia Hotels is the first in a series of mobile initiatives that the company will roll out in 2011.