Word: orbitz
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...website was created last June by the nation's five largest airlines (American, United, Delta, Northwest and Continental), and is today the third biggest player in the $20 billion-a-year online travel market. Competing websites claim Orbitz is using unfair practices to drive customers to those five airlines and undercut competitors, online and in the air. Last month Congress held what is expected to be the first of several hearings looking into Orbitz's behavior, and the departments of Transportation and Justice are officially examining the site for possible antitrust violations. Orbitz executives retort that their site has energized...
...Orbitz has multicolored pictures of children on its major screens. It’s a feel-good site. And as a major competitor with travelocity and cheaptickets, the deals to be found here make the delight of this sight all the sweeter...
Unless the DOJ clips Orbitz's wings, the site is likely to put the squeeze on independent agents like Expedia. "Orbitz isn't going to put Travelocity or Expedia out of business, but it's going to stir up the pot," says Harteveldt, who expects Web travel sales to top $29 billion...
...rivals say Orbitz is a Trojan horse that will initially offer low prices, pound competitors out of business and then raise prices. They cite the "most-favored-nation" clause, which requires member airlines to offer Orbitz every low fare they negotiate with others. Expedia vice president Eric Blachford says that clause gives Orbitz an unfair advantage. CEO Jeffrey Katz insists that Orbitz, which is a separate corporation, won those stipulations fair and square through arm's-length negotiations and technology that reduces booking costs. "Orbitz is operating completely within the law," he says...
Southwest has sued Orbitz for allegedly publishing inaccurate fare and flight data that make the nation's most successful discount airline look expensive and inconvenient. Katz denies the charges. "Orbitz should not exist at all," says Debby Ackerman, general counsel for Southwest...