In April this year, Orbitz discontinued their booking fees for hotel rooms as competition heated up between them and other online agencies. Back then, they were supposed to be coming back on 15 July, but that isn't happening.
The same story goes for airfare booking fees, which were removed and were to come back on 1 June. That didn't happen either.
It now looks like booking fees are a thing of the past for most online travel agencies, which is great for travelers looking to find good deals. Removing hotel booking fees is quite the advantage for Orbitz as the other websites haven't removed them, or at least not to the same extent. Combine this with the hotel price guarantee on offer, and the Orbitz offering is looking very very good.
The hotel industry and the online travel agency industries are hurting for business in the downturn. While some are using underhanded tactics to extract more money from travelers, smart buyers can get some fantastic deals on hotels and cheap airfares at the moment.
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