-
Hotel bookings propel Orbitz first quarter profit
DigitalOnline travel agency Orbitz Worldwide Inc. said Thursday it turned a profit in the first quarter thanks to higher hotel room bookings and sales of its vacation packages. The Chicago company reported a profit of $146.2 million, or $1.34 per share in the quarter that ended March 31, compared with a year-ago loss of $6.5 [...]
-
Orbitz says more Americans are headed to the beach this summer
DestinationsNearly three-quarters of Americans are planning to take a summer break and many will be heading to the beach, which is the most popular vacation getaway, according to a report released on Thursday by online travel company Orbitz. Historical and cultural tours are the next most popular option, followed by cruises, Orbitz said. With their [...]
-
Top travel sites then and now: How usability has evolved in travel
DigitalWhat did Expedia look like before the site and its peers turned the bricks and mortar travel agent industry on its head? And how did airlines connect with customers online when dial-up connections were the norm? It seems like another lifetime when these online travel sites broke onto the scene in the mid- to late- [...]
-
Orbitz Worldwide and Travelport get their freedom from Blackstone
DigitalApril 15, it turns out, was independence day for Orbitz Worldwide and Travelport. The Blackstone Group had controlled both companies, but relinquished its grip when Travelport completed a refinancing plan April 15. Orbitz Worldwide announced its new status in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing April 18, stating: “… The Blackstone Group, L.P., no longer beneficially owns, [...]
-
Local governments in New York get class action status in hotel tax suit
DigitalA group of local governments in New York State has won class-action status in a lawsuit that accuses online travel booking companies of failing to pay millions of dollars in hotel taxes, one of dozens of cases in a legal battle playing out all across the country. Nassau County filed the lawsuit in 2011 on [...]
-
American and Orbitz settle litigation over antitrust claims
TransportAMR Corp.’s American Airlines and Orbitz Worldwide LLC settled their litigation … The airline and the online travel reservation service issued a joint statement today saying they had resolved lawsuits between them. Terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed. Orbitz, based in Chicago, was the last remaining defendant in a lawsuit filed by American in federal [...]
-
Hawaii adds $70 million penalty in tax case against major online travel companies
DigitalPopular travel sites are being told to pay Hawaii a $70 million penalty for skirting state general excise taxes over the past 10 years. A tax appeal court has ruled that online travel companies including Orbitz Worldwide Inc., Priceline.com Inc., Sabre Inc.’s Travelocity, and Expedia Inc., including its subsidiaries Hotels.com and Hotwire, have been selling [...]
-
Study finds online booking giants aren’t satisfying travelers like they used to
DigitalFacing increasing competition from startups and search engines and mired in a relatively stagnant user experience, online travel agencies Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity and Priceline got dinged in a recent major customer satisfaction report. Released Tuesday, the American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) rated overall satisfaction with the online travel agencies, also known as OTAs, at 76 [...]
-
Orbitz picks Delta executive as CFO, its fourth (or fifth) in last two years
TransportFounded by five legacy airlines, Orbitz tapped the controller of one of them, Delta Air Lines, and appointed him chief financial officer. Orbitz hired Michael Randolfi, Delta’s controller, and he will start as Orbitz Worldwide CFO on March 11, 2013, the company said. Randolfi will be Orbitz’s fifth CFO, if you count an interim CFO [...]
-
Orbitz puts Away Network on the block as cost-cutting continues
DigitalFresh after completing a round of layoffs, Orbitz announced it is seeking to offload its Away Network in a move designed to cut additional expenses. Orbitz Worldwide revealed it is looking into “strategic alternatives” for all or part of the Away Network, including Away.com, Trip.com, AdventureFinder.com, Gorp.com, and Lodging.com. Orbitz Worldwide had big plans for [...]
