Oct. 28--Tom Breitling took off to find the sky. 

The 32-year-old is president of Travelscape.com, the Las Vegas arm of the Bellevue, Wash., travel giant Expedia.com, a company aiming to send discount-loving passengers skyward. 

His connection to flying seems logical, given that his father was a pilot for 35 years and two of his three brothers are pilots now. Breitling has his pilot's license, but flies only for fun. He said he has a deal with his siblings, if they'll keep the planes flying, he'll fill them. 

If family taught Breitling about aviation, friends taught him about Las Vegas. He roomed in college with Lorenzo Fertitta, a lifelong Las Vegan who would eventually become Station Casinos president. 

Breitling said he and Fertitta would come to Las Vegas often to soak up nightlife and indulge in their passion for Frank Sinatra concerts. Breitling said Fertitta introduced him to Tim Poster, who would later found Las Vegas Reservation Systems, the company now called Travelscape. Las Vegas was fun, Breitling said, a place he could land. 

Breitling said he didn't grow up dreaming of becoming a travel executive. In college, he thought he'd be a sportscaster, hoping to work for ESPN. He started working in TV at a station in the California high desert, but his career itinerary rerouted when he met Poster. 

With the travel industry, and airlines, still reeling from the Sept. 11 attacks, Breitling might worry. But he doesn't. He says his company's sound financially, and that no matter how hard the economy gets, people will still want to travel. 

"We are confident that customers will begin traveling again," he said. 

Question: In the wake of Sept. 11, I understand some online travel agencies have reported big drops in demand (sometimes as much as 20 percent). Is this happening at Travelscape and if so, how will the company resolve it? 

Answer: After the events on Sept. 11, our first priority was to take care of our customers and make sure that they made it to their destination safely. We have seen a short-term impact on our business, but we are confident that customers will begin traveling again and and we are encouraged by the early booking numbers. I think online travel will continue to see some attractive growth rates in 2002 and Expedia is well-positioned to compete in the online travel industry well into the future. 

Question: At 32, you're a relatively young executive. Do you feel like it's been a fast trip to success? 

Answer: No. I've been in Las Vegas for nine years working hard to build a successful business. None of it would have been possible without Tim Poster, he's the one who founded Las Vegas Reservation Systems in 1990 with just himself. It was one person, one hotel contract, one phone line, one 800 number and one tiny little ad in the Los Angeles Times. Tim Poster is the one who was the visionary for Las Vegas Reservations Systems and the business. I joined him in 1993 and we became business partners and together we successfully built Las Vegas Reservations Systems into Travelscape. 

Question: Why Las Vegas? 

Answer: I used to come to Las Vegas in college with Lorenzo and Tim and I liked the lifestyle. Las Vegas is a wonderful city. 

Question: Did your career start in travel? 

Answer: No. My first job out of college was as a TV broadcaster at a very small TV station in the high desert of California. I must admit that when I was sitting at the San Bernadino County Fair doing the weather with a goat in my lap that I was very far from being in the travel industry in Las Vegas. But Tim Poster and I kept talking, and we decided we would build a business together. 

Question: Why didn't you become a pilot like your father and brothers or stay in television after you started on that path? 

Answer: I have my pilot's license and flying is a hobby of mine. When I went to college I wanted to be an Army fighter pilot. I changed my mind and studied television and business. I always tell my brothers that they can fly the planes and I'll work hard to fill them. As I was dreaming of being a pilot, I also had a dream of being a sportscaster for ESPN. That's the road I chose to go down initially but then things changed. Tim Poster made me an offer, and I moved to Las Vegas. 

Question: I understand you're a big Frank Sinatra fan. That's so Las Vegas. Why? 

Answer: Frank Sinatra has a special place in my heart because so many of his songs relate to events in my life. When I moved to Las Vegas in 1993, Tim Poster and I would take the last few dollars in our pockets and go see him in concert. They are some of the best memories of my life. I have seen him more than 20 times and have vivid memories of him performing both here and in New York. "Come Fly with Me" and "Summer Wind" are two of my favorite songs. 

Question: What does it take to be a successful executive? 

Answer: It takes many things, but most of all a dedication and passion for what you are doing. You have to surround yourself with great people and those people have to believe in your vision and be willing to work hard to make the company successful. Success does not come easily; it takes a team working together towards a common vision with a passion to create the best possible products and customer experience. 

Question: What do you love most about work? 

Answer: I love setting lofty goals and working hard to achieve them. We set out to change the travel industry and that is what we are doing by listening to our customers and using technology to create a better experience for them. 

Vital statistics: 

Name: Tom Breitling. 

Age: 32. 

Family: Single, no children. 

Education: B.A. in communications from the University of San Diego. 

Work history: TV sportscaster for two years in California before moving to Las Vegas in 1993 to work with Tim Poster at Las Vegas Reservation Systems. Co-founded Travelscape.com with Tim Poster in 1998 and sold Travelscape to Expedia in 2000. 

Hobbies: Travel, sports, reading, music, working out. 

Favorite Book: "The Richest Man in Babylon," by George Clason. 

In Las Vegas since: 1993. 

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(c) 2001, Las Vegas Review-Journal. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. EXPE, STN, STN PR, DIS,