It was only a matter of time before Expedia bought its fellow online travel booking giant Travelocity. In 2013, Travelocity used Expedia’s tech for its American and Canadian websites, as well as its competitor’s supply and customer service program, the NY Times writes.
Today, Expedia announced the acquisition of Texas-based Travelocity, owned by Sabre.
“The strategic marketing agreement we’ve had in place has been a marriage of Travelocity’s strong brand with our best-in-class booking platform, supply base, and customer service,” Dara Khosrowshahi, Expedia’s chief executive, said in a statement. “Evolving this relationship strengthens the Expedia Inc. family’s ability to continue to innovate and deliver the very best travel experiences to the widest set of travelers, all over the world.”
What does this mean for Expedia? The travel giant could “gain additional marketshare, particularly in North America…Expedia has already integrated Travelocity’s technology platforms and was bullish on the uplift from the 2013 agreement,” as Skirt writes.
Travelocity is likely to maintain its unique brand within the umbrella of Expedia Inc, according to Recode.
Some context is in order, especially for those unaware of recent deals in the travel space. Travelocity, at one point the top online travel company in the world, was sold today for just $80 million more than Trip Advisor forked out in August for tours and activities provider Viator.
Photo via Flickr, Creative Commons
