Orbitz

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American still talking to Orbitz about listings

American Airlines says it’s talking to Orbitz and Expedia about resuming the listing of American flights on the travel websites. Get the full story »

Orbitz shares drop after American tickets pulled

The shares of online travel agencies Orbitz and Expedia fell on Monday after Expedia dropped American Airlines tickets from its offerings.

Expedia called its weekend action a response to the airline’s new “anti-consumer” and “anti-choice” commercial strategy.

Expedia shares fell 3 percent to $24.32 in midmorning trading while Orbitz shares slid 0.7 percent to $5.55. Get the full story »

Former Crocs exec to become CFO at Orbitz

Orbitz Worldwide Inc. named the former financial chief of Crocs Inc. to the same position at the online-travel company. Russ Hammer, who led the restructuring efforts at shoe maker Crocs, also held a variety of senior executive positions at Motorola Inc.. He replaces Marsha Williams, whose retirement was announced in June. Get the full story »

American Airlines flights gone from Expedia

Expedia Inc. is starting the new year with a break-up, suspending sales of tickets for flights on American Airlines after the two sides were unable to resolve a commercial dispute.

Expedia’s Saturday announcement is the latest twist in the spat involving American and online giants that have revolutionized how travel is sold over the Internet. On Dec. 21, American yanked its fares from Chicago-based Orbitz Worldwide Inc. Get the full story »

Expedia hides American flights in support of Orbitz

Expedia is hiding pricing information for American Airlines flights on its Web sites in a display of solidarity with Chicago-based Orbitz Worldwide Inc., which is enmeshed in a contract dispute with the nation’s #3 carrier.

The online travel giants are warring with American over the airline’s attempts take greater control of the way it sells tickets and other services.

The new contract terms the Texas-based carrier seeks would drive down its costs and impose new technology on agencies like Orbitz and Expedia and the global clearinghouses that provide the ticket data they peddle over the Internet, analysts said. Get the full story »

American Airlines yanks fares from Orbitz

Orbitz Worldwide Inc. stopped selling American Airlines’ tickets on Tuesday afternoon after a Cook County Circuit Court judge allowed the nation’s #3 airline to yank all content from the online travel giant.

American said it pulled its inventory from Orbitz immediately after the ruling. Customers who need to change tickets booked through Orbitz.com should call 1-800-433-7300, the airline advised.

Texas-based American had sought to sever ties to the Chicago-based online travel agency on Dec. 1 as a result of a contract dispute with Orbitz and Travelport, the online travel giant’s largest shareholder. Get the full story »

Orbitz names new Chief Technology Officer

Orbitz Worldwide Inc. on Monday said that it has named Roger Liew as senior vice president and chief technology officer. Get the full story »

Orbitz launches free mobile apps for booking travel

Orbitz Worldwide Inc. has launched free mobile applications for the iPhone and Android platforms that allow users to book hotels, flights and rental cars.

In addition, the Chicago-based online travel company has updated its mobile Web site, which has been live since July but whose debut went unannounced. Get the full story »

Orbitz: O’Hare to be busiest U.S. airport on T-Day


Travelers may want to choose Chicago Midway airport over Chicago O’Hare International this Thanksgiving to avoid stress-induced indigestion before the turkey is even on the table.

That’s because O’Hare is expected to be the busiest airport in the nation this holiday, according to a ranking by Orbitz, a Chicago-based online travel company, outpacing its next busiest counterpart Los Angeles International airport by 20 percent. Get the full story »

Orbitz shares tank on threat from American

Shares of online travel agency Orbitz Worldwide Inc. tumbled 18 percent on news that American Airlines has threatened to stop selling tickets on Orbitz sites.

Orbitz said American, the fourth-largest U.S. airline, was threatening to pull its content if the travel agency did not use a direct link to the carrier’s inventory instead of a global distribution service, which negotiates prices. Get the full story »

Orbitz raises outlook as 3Q profit doubles

Online travel agency Orbitz Worldwide Inc. posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit and forecast a 1-2 percent increase in full-year revenue as a rebounding travel industry lifts hotel and international air bookings. Orbitz, which owns travel sites Orbitz.com and Cheaptickets.com, said third-quarter net profit was $15.3 million, or 15 cents a share, compared with $7.0 million, or 8 cents a share, a year earlier. Get the full story »

Orbitz profit tops Street on bookings; shares soar

Online travel agency Orbitz Worldwide recorded a better-than-expected quarterly profit on gains in bookings, sending its shares up nearly 13 percent.

The company, which owns travel sites Orbitz.com and Cheaptickets.com, said the total value of its travel bookings increased by 17 percent from a year ago, when the industry was hammered by a recession that drained travel demand. Get the full story »

Just so ‘you know,’ Orbitz launches new ads

The new Orbitz TV commercial. (Orbitz)

Chicago-based Internet travel agency Orbitz Worldwide Inc. today launches a major new advertising campaign touting the information and services consumers can expect when they arrive at their hotels.

The new campaign, developed with New York ad agency BBDO, features a branded tagline, “When You Orbitz, You Know.” Financial terms of the campaign were not disclosed. Get the full story »

Orbitz hires eBay exec as chief marketing officer

Orbitz Worldwide Inc. announced today it is hiring eBay Inc. executive Chris Orton as its chief marketing officer, effectively immediately.

Orton was senior director of Internet marketing at eBay, where he worked since 2003.

“We believe his deep experience of applying massive data sets to marketing opportunities will make Orbitz a more effective and efficient marketing organization,” Barney Harford, president and chief executive officer of the Chicago-based online travel company, said in a written statement.

Fast Company: Chicago a great place for business

Fast Company | The Windy City has a strong startup culture, lots of federal research dollars, and talented fourth-generation entrepreneurs, says Fast Company magazine. In an article on Chicago’s business culture, Fast Company interviews Matt McCall, a partner at New World Ventures and managing director at DFJ Portage. McCall notes that Chicago is home to many of the largest companies in the U.S., and that the city “is where many Internet mainstays were launched, from the jobs site CareerBuilder and travel service Orbitz to RSS technology innovators Feedburner.”

McCall describes a typical Chicago entrepreneur as “incredibly capital efficient because obviously capital is scarce in the Midwest…they tend to be very collaborative and cooperative.”

Get the full story: fastcompany.com.