Orbitz Offers More Than Just Airline Tickets>
Five airlines are at the heart of Orbitz. American, Continental, Delta, Northwest and United joined together to form the company in 2001. The idea was to offer one convenient place for both the leisure and business traveler to find not only low airfares, but also deals on everything from lodging to vacation packages. Cendant Corporation, a company that specializes in travel and real estate, acquired Orbitz in November of last year. Orbitz works with more than 450 airlines to help travelers secure the best deals on flights. Readers of Business Traveler magazine voted Orbitz the best website for booking business travel in November of last year. Consumer Reports also gives Orbitz overall high marks in its e-ratings from November 2004. One interesting feature if you live in an area convenient to more than one airport, Orbitz flight search engine allows you to request information for additional airports up to 70 miles away from the one in your initial search. In addition to the flight information, Orbitz works with 22 rental car companies, and tens of thousands of hotel and lodging properties. When you go to the Orbitz website, you can plug in your search criteria on the left hand side of the screen, or if you’re simply looking for deals, check out the right side. You’ll find everything from weekend trips to Las Vegas, to Spring Break deals for students. The same thing goes if you’re looking for a complete vacation. The site features information and prices on a variety of locations and types of vacations, from beating the winter cold someplace warm and sunny to ski packages everywhere from Maine to Colorado. Even if you’re not booking a flight, you can still find plenty of valuable travel information on the Orbitz website including updates on airport security, tips for packing smart, and what you need to know about getting bumped from a flight as well as what you can do to help prevent it from happening. You can also take advantage of Care Alerts. If you choose, Orbitz will notify you of changes or
A: The site also posts updated information on expected delays at some airports, due to weather or special events, and other travel-related information such as special exhibits to check out at your destination. Other information you can access through Orbitz includes airport guides to most of the major U.S. airports. The guides provide updates on any construction or expansion projects currently going on at a given airport. They’ll also alert you to the best way to get to the airport, find the parking you need and maps of the terminal areas. Great information if you’re headed into unfamiliar territory.