Friday 18 November 2011

Orbitz to power AOL Travel


Orbitz to power AOL Travel

By Johanna Jainchill
Orbitz Worldwide on Thursday signed a multiyear agreement for Orbitz.com to be the primary travel booking partner for AOL Travel.

Orbitz replaces Travelocity, which has been AOL’s reservations engine since 1999.

The partnership will allow AOL users to book with Orbitz and give Orbitz access to AOL editorial content.

Beginning in January, AOL Travel visitors will be able to book hotels, vacation packages, flights, rental cars and cruises on Orbitz.com. Orbitz Worldwide brands will be promoted on AOL-owned sites.

In turn, Orbitz brands (including Orbitz.com, CheapTickets.com and Away.com) will feature AOL Travel travel guides and will have access to AOL Travel, HuffPost Travel and Gadling travel content, including destination reviews, overviews and blogs.

Orbitz CEO Barney Harford said that the editorial content would “help consumers make better decisions.”

In a statement, Jared Smith, general manager of travel for the Huffington Post Media Group, said, "As a one-stop-shop for travel news, inspiration, research and purchasing, it is important for us to partner with a top-notch travel-booking site.

"Given its reliability, breadth and quality, Orbitz.com is the ideal booking partner for AOL Travel. We're also excited to provide our high-quality content to the Orbitz Worldwide family of brands to enhance their customer offering."

In September, Orbitz agreed to power American Express’ consumer travel website, beginning in the second half of 2012, also replacing Travelocity.

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