Published: 02 Jul 2008: Orbitz.com and ebookers.com websites have replaced Expedia Inc. As the travel agencies for Microsoft Corp´s Internet arm MSN.com in the US and the UK.
As per the information available, it´s the first time Orbitz has been chosen as the main travel agency for a major web portal, though it has a secondary relationship with Yahoo.
"Our partnership with MSN will provide additional visibility and traffic to both Orbitz.com and ebookers.com, strengthening growth in both the US and the UK," Orbitz Chief Executive Steve Barnhart said in a statement.
An Orbitz spokesman declined to say what the arrangement would mean for the company in terms of bookings or company earnings. He said, however, that there is an ad revenue component to the deal. Orbitz did not provide data on how many visitors could be drawn to its ebookers European affiliate through the deal, which took effect Tuesday.
According to Reuters, a Microsoft spokesman said the company decided to switch to Orbitz because it preferred the travel site´s features and customer service.
