said losses before goodwill amortisation, exceptional items and taxation were down 20.2% year on year to £4.2m, compared with £5.3m last time.
It reported that total transaction value for the quarter grew by 126.4% year-on-year to £92.2m and said it had achieved record forward bookings as of March 31 of £56m compared with £13.8m in 2002.
Allan Leighton, Lastminute chairman, said: "Our model demonstrated its resilience in the last quarter, which was tough for the travel industry. Quarter three has started well with a record order bank for Easter departures. We remain confident that we will meet our expectations of continued growth and overall group profitability for the current quarter and the year as a whole."
He added: "Lastminute.com is in a strong position with a product mix that has ensured it has been able to minimise the effect of outside factors like the Iraqi situation and, more recently, SARS."
The group said it had completed its acquisition of car rental firm Holiday Autos, a £39.7m deal it announced in March, which has significantly increased the size of the company.
Lastminute said it had broadly hit its target of approximately 35% of its anticipated full-year total transaction value by the end of the first half. TTV for the second quarter was £92.2m, including a £9.5m contribution from Holiday Autos. Lastminute said it was entering the third quarter with a record order bank, which was partly a result of Easter falling late this year and an improvement in consumer confidence following the cessation of hostilities in Iraq.
By March 31, subscribers increased to more than 7m, representing growth of 40.3% year on year.
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