Orbitz to automatically refund travelers when their airfares drop

Orbitz.com today introduced a game-changing new service for its customers called Orbitz Price Assurance(SM). The latest in a history of innovations from Orbitz, Orbitz Price Assurance allows customers to book and buy airfare and rest easy, knowing they are getting the best price for their flight available on their site.

Orbitz.com today introduced a game-changing new service for its customers called Orbitz Price Assurance(SM). The latest in a history of innovations from Orbitz, Orbitz Price Assurance allows customers to book and buy airfare and rest easy, knowing they are getting the best price for their flight available on their site.

With Orbitz Price Assurance, if the price drops for a plane ticket booked on Orbitz.com and another customer subsequently books the same airline ticket on Orbitz.com for less, Orbitz will automatically send travelers a cash refund for the difference.

“Orbitz Price Assurance is a significant step forward in improving the travel booking experience,” said Steve Barnhart, CEO and president of Orbitz Worldwide. “Delivering on our commitment to be the best place to search for and book travel, we are automatically refunding our customers if another customer books the same flight for less.”

Orbitz has a strong heritage of innovation. Orbitz was the first online travel site to launch the transparent Flight Matrix, easing airfare comparisons for customers. Since 2003, Orbitz has sent more than 100 million alerts to its customers warning them of flight delays, gate changes or cancellations. Via its staff of full time air traffic controllers in its Chicago OrbitzTLC Center, mobile access platform or Traveler Update service, Orbitz continues to be at the cutting edge of technology and service innovations in travel.

With Orbitz Price Assurance, travelers will no longer have to worry about airfare prices dropping after they have booked.

Once a customer books a flight on Orbitz, our website starts tracking to see if another customer books the same itinerary on Orbitz at a lower price. Price Assurance is only applicable for flights booked on or after June 6, 2008.

If that happens, Orbitz will issue a refund for the difference, between $5 and $250 per traveler. Orbitz will continue tracking until the day of the customer’s flight. Each time the price drops and another customer books, the refund amount will increase.

Orbitz will notify customers via email when another flight is booked at a lower price including the refund amount they will receive. Customers can also monitor this information in the “My Trips” tab on Orbitz.com.

Customers will receive a refund check approximately 30 days after the trip is completed. Orbitz will mail it to the billing address for the credit card used to make the booking. Recipients will have 90 days from the date the check is issued to cash it.

“Price continues to be the number one motivating factor when Americans are booking flights,” says Aaron Cooper, group vice president of Online Marketing for Orbitz Worldwide. “Orbitz is the only travel company to give our customers an automatic refund to ensure they get the lowest airfare on Orbitz possible.”

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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