A Done Deal

Well that didn’t take long.

The rumour mill had barely started turning when Expedia, Inc. and Sabre Corporation jointly announced that Expedia, Inc. has acquired Travelocity from Sabre Corporation for $280 million in cash.

The acquisition follows the 2013 strategic marketing agreement between Expedia, Inc. and Travelocity under which Expedia has powered the technology platforms for Travelocity’s US and Canadian websites along with providing Travelocity access to Expedia, Inc.’s supply and customer service program.

Dara Khosrowshahi, Expedia, Inc. president and CEO, commented, “Travelocity is one of the most recognized travel brands in North America, offering thousands of travel destinations to more than 20 million travelers per month. 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. 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.”

Sabre’s president and CEO, Tom Klein said, “Our primary focus at Sabre is to provide mission-critical software solutions to our global airline, hospitality, and travel agency customers – and to help them support their customers every day.”

And Klein continued, “We have had a long and fruitful partnership with Expedia, most recently by partnering to strengthen the Travelocity business, so our decision to divest Travelocity is a logical next step for us both.”

(http://www.expediainc.com , http://www.sabre.com)