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{{Short description|Online travel agency}}
{{Advert|date=March 2012}}
{{Infobox website
'''Travelocity''' is an online ] and was founded and owned by ]. It is now wholly owned by ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2015/01/23/expedia-buys-travelocity-for-280-million-in-cash/?_r=0|title=Expedia Buys Travelocity for $280 Million in Cash|author=Michael J. De La Merced|newspaper=]accessdate=2015-06-26}}</ref> Travelocity is based in ], in the United States. ] in Europe was a sister site of Travelocity, sold to Swiss-based Bravofly Rumbo in December 2014.<ref>{{cite news|title=Lastminute.com sold to Swiss travel firm in £76m deal|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/business-30506227|publisher=Bbc.com|accessdate=2015-06-26}}</ref> In recent years, businesses and sites once owned and operated by Travelocity, including Travelocity Business, ] and ], were sold or shut down as Travelocity focused on its core consumer travel business.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tnooz.com/article/travelocity-sells-asia-pacific-agency-zuji-to-webjet-for-25-million/|title=Travelocity sells Asia-Pacific agency Zuji to Webjet for $25 million - Tnooz|work=Tnooz.com|accessdate=2015-06-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tnooz.com/article/travelocity-igougo-closes|title=RIP IgoUgo - the review site Travelocity wanted to compete with TripAdvisor - Tnooz|work=Tnooz.com|accessdate=2015-06-26}}</ref>
| name = Travelocity.com
⚫ | logo = Travelocity logo.svg
| company_type = ]
| type = ]
| founded = {{Start date and age|1996|1}}
| location_city = ], ]
| location_country = ]
| industry = ]
| parent = ]
}}

'''Travelocity.com''' is an online ] owned by the American ]. It has 12.4 million monthly unique visitors, making it the third most popular website owned by Expedia Group, after ] and ].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://advertising.expedia.com/audience | title=Audience | publisher=]}}</ref>{{Not in source given|date=February 2022}}

One of the pioneers of web-based ], Travelocity.com was the first ] that allowed consumers the ability to purchase travel tickets without the help of a person.<ref name=jones/>

In addition to airfares, the site also permits consumers to book hotel rooms, rental cars, cruises and packaged vacations.<ref name=skift/>


==History== ==History==
] began offering customer access to its electronic reservation system, ], in 1978 to travel agencies, and in the mid-1980s on the ] and ] to consumers under the "eAAsySabre"<ref>{{cite news|last=Gutis |first=Philip S. |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=950DE0D6163AF930A15751C1A96F948260 |title=More Trips Start at a Home Computer |newspaper=] |date=1989-12-23 |accessdate=2015-06-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Lewis |first=Peter H. |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE2D7163EF931A25752C0A964958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |title=Booking With a Computer |newspaper=] |date=1992-01-12 |accessdate=2015-06-26}}</ref> brand name. This service was extended to ] in the 1990s. The CEO of the eAAsySabre was ].<ref name="skift">{{cite web|url=https://skift.com/history-of-online-travel/|title=The Definitive oral history of online travel|last=Schaal|first=Dennis|year=2016|publisher=]|accessdate=15 June 2016}}</ref> ] began offering customer access to its electronic reservation system, ], in 1978 to travel agencies, and in the mid-1980s on ] and ] to consumers under the "eAAsySabre" brand name.<ref>{{cite news | last=Gutis | first=Philip S. | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/23/style/more-trips-start-at-a-home-computer.html | title=More Trips Start at a Home Computer | work=] | date=December 23, 1989 | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Lewis | first=Peter H. | url=https://archive.nytimes.com/query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage-9E0CE2D7163EF931A25752C0A964958260.html | title=Booking With a Computer | work=] | date=January 12, 1992 | url-access=subscription}}</ref> The CEO of eAAsySabre was Kathy Misunas.<ref name=skift>{{cite web | url=https://skift.com/history-of-online-travel/ | title=The Definitive oral history of online travel | last=Schaal | first=Dennis | year=2016 | publisher=]}}</ref> Under the "Saabre" brand, it was a popular feature of online services such as ] and ] in the early 1990s.<ref name=saabre95>{{cite web | url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/travel/practical/pt950910.html | title=Booking a Trip On the Internet | last=Baranger | first=Walter | date=September 10, 1995 | work=]}}</ref>


Travelocity was created in 1995 as a ] between Worldview Systems Corporation and ]. The founding team at Worldview conceived of the idea in 1994 as an extension to their online travel database offering which had been distributed through Sabre, Bloomberg, AOL and many others. The founding team at Worldview joined with distribution partner Sabre in a 50-50 JV that resulted in the development and launch of Travelocity in 1995-1996.
Travelocity was created in 1996 as a subsidiary of ], itself a subsidiary of American Airlines, and was run by long-time Sabre ] executive ]. As one of the pioneers of web-based ], Travelocity.com was the first ] that allowed consumers themselves not only to access Sabre's fare and schedule information, but also to reserve, book, and purchase tickets without the help of a ] or broker. In addition to airfares, the site also permits consumers to book hotel rooms, rental cars, cruises and packaged vacations.<ref name="skift"/>


In 1996, Worldview's investors, ] and ], sold their stake in Travelocity to ]. It was run by long-time Sabre ] executive ].<ref name=jones>{{cite news | url=https://www.phocuswire.com/How-to-innovate-Lessons-learned-the-hard-way-by-Travelocity-founder-Terry-Jones | title=How to innovate: Lessons learned the hard way by Travelocity founder Terry Jones | first=Sean | last=O'Neill | work=Phocuswire | date=October 18, 2012}}</ref>
Travelocity gained momentum after AOL's travel portal became associated with the brand in 1999. In 2000, Sabre negotiated a merger of Travelocity with another early web travel company, Preview Travel. The resulting company was independently quoted on the ] exchange, with Sabre continuing to own around 70 percent of the combined company's outstanding stock. In 2002, with Travelocity's fortunes suffering from competition including ] and ], Sabre consummated a ] for the remainder of the outstanding shares in Travelocity and remerged the business into Sabre as a subsidiary. Jones left the company shortly afterward.


Travelocity gained popularity after a 1999 partnership with ].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Online-Travel/Travelocity-AOL-expand-partnership | title=Travelocity, AOL expand partnership | first=Dennis | last=Schaal | work=Travel Weekly | date=April 10, 2006}}</ref>
Also in March 2002, Travelocity acquired last minute travel specialist ]. Site59’s CEO and founder, Michelle Peluso joined Travelocity with the acquisition as senior vice president, product strategy and distribution. Peluso became Travelocity’s COO in April 2003 and was then named president and chief executive officer of Travelocity in December 2003.


In 2000, Sabre negotiated a merger of Travelocity with Preview Travel.<ref name=preview>{{cite press release | url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sabres-travelocitycom-and-preview-travel-to-merge-establishing-clear-leader-in-online-travel-76417582.html | title=Sabre's Travelocity.com and Preview Travel to Merge, Establishing Clear Leader in Online Travel | publisher=] | date=October 4, 1999}}</ref> The resulting company was listed on the ], with Sabre owning around 70% of the company.<ref name=preview/>
In 2004, Travelocity introduced "]". Voiced by ], the Gnome has been a staple in Travelocity's advertising ever since. The original campaign was invented by Lisa Shimotakahara and Philip Marchington of McKinney & Silver, an advertising agency in Durham, North Carolina. The tagline, "You'll never roam alone", was written by John Guynn, a copywriter at the same agency. Avant Garde Studio, with lead artists, Amy Medford and Leonid Siveriver, worked with Philip Marchington to design/create the unique look of "The Roaming Gnome". Avant Garde Studio is also responsible for sculpting and painting the original 3d sculpture prototypes.


In March 2002, Sabre reacquired all outstanding shares of the brand via a ].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/07/business/markets-market-place-trying-acquire-all-travelocity-sabre-finds-itself-struggle.html | title=THE MARKETS: Market Place; In trying to acquire all of Travelocity, Sabre finds itself in a struggle to regain what it once had | first=Floyd | last=Norris | author-link=Floyd Norris | work=] | date=March 7, 2002 | url-access=subscription}}</ref> Jones left the company shortly afterward, in May 2002.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.cnet.com/news/more-travelocity-execs-say-bon-voyage/ | title=More Travelocity execs say bon voyage | first=Greg | last=Sandoval | work=] | date=May 9, 2002}}</ref>
In 2005, Travelocity acquired ] to take in excess of 30 more brands under its banner in the ].


In March 2002, Travelocity acquired last minute travel specialist ].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1017100538561250680 | title=Travelocity.com Agrees to Buy Rival Site59.com for $43 Million | first=KORTNEY | last=STRINGER | work=] | date=March 26, 2002 | url-access=subscription}}</ref> The CEO and founder of Site59, ], joined Travelocity with the acquisition as senior vice president, product strategy and distribution. Peluso became Travelocity's COO in April 2003 and was then named president and chief executive officer of Travelocity in December 2003.<ref name=skift/> Many members of Peluso's former management team at Site59 were appointed to senior management positions at Travelocity.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Online-Travel/Travelocity-restructures-with-a-global-focus | title=Travelocity restructures with a global focus | first=Dennis | last=Schaal | work=Travel Weekly | date=January 20, 2009}}</ref>
Travelocity has a program called Travel for Good that offers a $5000 grant for a selected volunteer to participate in volunteer travel programs with various nonprofit organizations, including ], ], and the ].


In 2004, Travelocity introduced an advertising campaign known as "]".<ref>{{cite news | url=https://slate.com/business/2004/02/travelocity-s-spokesgnome.html | title=Gnome Is Where the Heart Is | first=Seth | last=Stevenson | work=] | date=February 16, 2004}}</ref>
Under Peluso’s leadership, Travelocity has developed and launched a merchant hotel business, ] functionality, and a private-label (ASP) distribution network, the Travelocity Partner Network. Many members of Peluso’s former management team at Site59 held senior management positions at Travelocity; namely, Jeffrey Glueck (]), Tracey Weber (President, North America), Josh Hartmann (]) and Jonathan Perkel (Senior Vice President and ]).


In 2005, Travelocity acquired ] for £577 million.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/05/12/travelocity_buys_lastminute/ | title=Travelocity buys Lastminute.com for £577m | first=Tim | last=Richardson | work=] | date=12 May 2005}}</ref> The acquisition included allhotels.com, which was founded in 1997 by Richard Irwin, acquired by Online Travel Corporation (OTC) in 2002 for £1.4 million,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4013564.html | title=Online Travel Corporation (OTC) Buys All-Hotels | publisher=Hospitalitynet.org | date=24 September 2002}}</ref> and later acquired by lastminute.com in 2004.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.phocuswire.com/Travelocity-revs-up-allhotels-as-an-answer-to-Priceline-in-Europe-Asia-Latin-America | title=Travelocity revs up allhotels as an answer to Priceline in Europe, Asia, Latin America | work=Phocuswire | date=April 30, 2010}}</ref>
On January 8, 2009, the company announced that its CEO, Michelle Peluso would tender her resignation in order to get married and focus on bringing up a family, and that she is being replaced by long-time Sabre Sr. Executive, Hugh Jones.<ref> {{wayback|url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/010809dnbuspeluso.204eebb.html |date=20090815151445 }}</ref> In 2011, president and CEO Hugh Jones moved to sister company ], and ] president Carl Sparks was brought in as president and CEO of Travelocity. Sparks had been general manager of ] and before that was chief marketing officer at ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tnooz.com/2011/04/04/news/travelocity-replaces-ceo-with-former-hotels-com-exec/#TE5WKr0F18Wmw0dl.99|title=Travelocity replaces CEO with former Hotels.com exec - Tnooz|work=Tnooz.com|accessdate=2015-06-26}}</ref>


In January 2009, CEO ] announced her resignation and was replaced by Sabre executive ].<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.sabre.com/insights/releases/hugh-jones-to-head-travelocity-global-as-michelle-peluso-announces-departure/ | title=Hugh Jones to Head Travelocity Global as Michelle Peluso Announces Departure | publisher=Sabre | date=January 7, 2009}}</ref>
⚫ In August 2013, Expedia Inc. announced it had signed a marketing agreement with Travelocity, where Expedia would power Travelocity's United States and Canadian points of sale, and Travelocity would focus solely on advertising their website. Beginning in November 2013, Expedia's hotel supply began flowing into Travelocity, with expected completion to take place in early 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2013/08/23/travelocity-and-expedia-virtually-merge/2691869/|title=Expedia to provide key services for rival Travelocity|author=Charisse Jones, USA TODAY|date=23 August 2013|work=Usatoday.com|accessdate=2015-06-26}}</ref>


In April 2011, president and CEO Hugh Jones moved to a position at Sabre and ] president Carl Sparks was brought in as president and CEO of Travelocity. Sparks had been general manager of ] and was previously chief marketing officer of ].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.phocuswire.com/Travelocity-replaces-CEO-with-former-Hotels-com-exec | title=Travelocity replaces CEO with former Hotels.com exec | work=Phocuswire | date=April 4, 2011}}</ref>
⚫ In May 2014, CEO Carl Sparks stepped down from his position as CEO of Travelocity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/blog/2014/05/has-ceo-carl-sparks-ended-his-trip-withtravelocity.html|title=Has CEO Carl Sparks ended his trip with Travelocity? - Dallas Business Journal|date=8 May 2014|work=Dallas Business Journal|accessdate=2015-06-26}}</ref> After the departure of Sparks, Roshan Mendis, President of Travelocity was named to manage operations of Travelocity's operations in the Americas, while Matthew Crummack, CEO of ] was named to manage operations in Europe.


In January 2015, Travelocity was sold by ] to ] for $280 million.<ref>{{cite web|last=Dastin |first=Jeffrey |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/23/us-expedia-m-a-idUSKBN0KW2DB20150123 |title=Expedia Inc acquires Travelocity in $280 million deal |publisher=Reuters.com |date=2015-01-23 |accessdate=2015-06-26}}</ref> In December 2012, Travelocity sold Zuji to Webjet for $25 million.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.phocuswire.com/Travelocity-sells-Asia-Pacific-agency-Zuji-to-Webjet-for-25-million | title=Travelocity sells Asia-Pacific agency Zuji to Webjet for $25 million | first=Kevin | last=May | work=Phocuswire | date=December 12, 2012}}</ref>


In June 2013, Travelocity Business, a corporate travel agency, was sold to ]-based ].<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.bcdtravel.com/bcd-travel-acquires-travelocity-business-from-travelocity/ | title=BCD Travel acquires Travelocity Business from Travelocity | publisher=] | date=June 18, 2013}}</ref>
⚫ In November 2015, Travelocity hired Assembly in New York to handle US media. Until then, media had been handled by Publics Groupe's Zenith Media. <ref>{{cite web|last1=Gianatasio|first1=David|title=Travelocity Hires a New Media Agency to Crack the Code Around Millenials|url=http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/travelocity-hires-new-media-agency-crack-code-around-millennials-167887|website=Ad Week|publisher=Ad Week|accessdate=6 November 2015}}</ref>


⚫ In August 2013, Expedia Inc. announced an agreement with Travelocity to power its United States and Canadian websites.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2013/08/23/travelocity-and-expedia-virtually-merge/2691869/ | title=Expedia to provide key services for rival Travelocity | first=Charisse | last=Jones | work=] | date=23 August 2013}}</ref>
⚫ ==Controversies==
⚫ In July 2012, the U.S. Department of Transportation fined Travelocity $180,000 after discovering that Travelocity’s “flexible dates tool” did not always include fuel surcharges that were part of many international airfares in violation of the Department’s rules requiring all carrier-imposed surcharges and fees to be included in every advertised fare. In addition, the DOT found that the customer was informed only on the final page before purchasing the ticket that some itineraries required a paper ticket with a minimum additional delivery fee of $29.95.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dot.gov/briefing-room/dot-fines-travelocity-violating-dot-price-advertising-rule|title=DOT Fines Travelocity for Violating DOT Price Advertising Rule|work=Department of Transportation|accessdate=2015-06-26}}</ref>


In November 2013, Travelocity shut down its IgoUgo website.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.phocuswire.com/RIP-IgoUgo-the-review-site-Travelocity-wanted-to-compete-with-TripAdvisor | title=RIP IgoUgo - the review site Travelocity wanted to compete with TripAdvisor | work=Phocuswire | date=November 19, 2013}}</ref>
⚫ In August 2012, Travelocity faced a viral controversy when it offered a $200 coupon code to attendees at the ] annual conference in Dallas. After the NFB posted the code on ] without mentioning the attendee restriction, Travelocity retweeted it without noticing the error but deleted the tweet a day later. After some travel blogs and message boards resposted the code, many ineligible travelers used the code.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/consuming-interests-blog/bs-tr-travelocity-nfb-20120809,0,989834.story|title=Travelocity NFB dispute - Baltimore Sun|author=Baltimore Sun|date=10 August 2012|work=Baltimoresun.com|accessdate=2015-06-26}}</ref> Travelocity responded by cancelling all trips that used the code who weren't on the list of attendees at the NFB annual conference. This resulted in a barrage of complaints from customers angry to see their trips suddenly cancelled.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/08/10/good-deed-gone-viral-creates-web-headache-for-travelocity|title=Good Deed Gone Viral Creates Web Headache for Travelocity|author=Danielle Kurtzleben|work=US News & World Report|accessdate=2015-06-26}}</ref>


⚫ In May 2014, CEO Carl Sparks stepped down as CEO of Travelocity.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/blog/2014/05/has-ceo-carl-sparks-ended-his-trip-withtravelocity.html | title=Has CEO Carl Sparks ended his trip with Travelocity? | work=] | date= May 8, 2014}}</ref> After the departure of Sparks, Roshan Mendis, President of Travelocity was named to manage operations of Travelocity's operations in the Americas, while Matthew Crummack, CEO of ] was named to manage operations in Europe.
==AllHotels==
<!-- This section is linked from redirect "]" -->
AllHotels.com was an online hotel reservation site owned by Travelocity. The site was founded in 1997 by Richard Irwin, acquired by Online Travel Corporation (OTC) in 2002,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4013564.search|title=Online Travel Corporation (OTC) Buys All-Hotels|publisher=Hospitalitynet.org|accessdate=2015-06-26}}</ref> and later acquired by lastminute.com in 2004.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/lastminutecom_acquires_online_travel_corporation_otc/|title=Booking.com to amend parity provisions throughout Europe|publisher=Hotelmarketing.com|accessdate=2015-06-26}}</ref> AllHotels joined the Travelocity portfolio of companies through Travelocity's acquisition of lastminute.com in 2005. AllHotels was a hotel only site where customers book online, but pay the hotel at checkout.


In December 2014, Travelocity sold ] to Swiss-based Bravofly Rumbo for £76 million.<ref>{{cite news | title=Lastminute.com sold to Swiss travel firm in £76m deal | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-30506227 | work=] | date=16 December 2014}}</ref>
⚫ ==Travelocity Business==
Travelocity Business was a full-service corporate travel agency that allowed companies to plan, buy and manage their travel through its online and offline capabilities. Travelocity Business was sold to ]-based ] on June 18, 2013 <ref name = "BCD Travel acquires Travelocity Business from Travelocity">{{cite web|url=http://www.bcdtravel.com/bcd-travel-acquires-travelocity-business-from-travelocity/|title=BCD Travel|publisher=Bcdtravel.com|accessdate=2015-06-26}}</ref> and to ]-based Expedia on January 23, 2015.


In January 2015, Travelocity was sold by Sabre to ] for $280 million.<ref>{{cite news | last=Dastin | first=Jeffrey | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-expedia-m-a-idUSKBN0KW2DB20150123 | title=Expedia Inc acquires Travelocity in $280 million deal | work=] | date=January 23, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2015/01/23/expedia-buys-travelocity-for-280-million-in-cash/ | title=Expedia Buys Travelocity for $280 Million in Cash | first=Michael J. | last=De La Merced | work=] | date=23 January 2015 | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2015/01/25/expedia-has-acquired-travelocity-for-280-million-in-cash/ | title=Expedia Has Acquired Travelocity For $280 Million In Cash | first=Amit | last=Chowdhry | work=] | date=25 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-expedia-travelocity-20150123-story.html | title=Expedia buys rival Travelocity for $280 million | first=Javier | last=Panzar | work=] | date=23 January 2015 | url-access=subscription}}</ref>
==See also==

*'']''. U.S. sponsor.
⚫ In November 2015, Travelocity hired Assembly in New York to handle US media. Until then, media had been handled by Publics Groupe's Zenith Media.<ref>{{cite news | last=Gianatasio | first=David | title=Travelocity Hires a New Media Agency to Crack the Code Around Millennials | url=https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/travelocity-hires-new-media-agency-crack-code-around-millennials-167887/ | work=] | date=November 2, 2015}}</ref>

In December 2015, Travelocity relaunched its Travel for Good program that offers a $5,000 grant for a selected volunteer to participate in volunteer travel programs with various nonprofit organizations, including ], ], and the ].<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/travelocity-relaunches-travel-for-good-grant-program-for-voluntourist-hopefuls-300145803.html | title=Travelocity Relaunches Travel for Good Grant Program for "Voluntourist" Hopefuls | publisher=] | date=September 21, 2015}}</ref>

In February 2016, Travelocity launched its Wander Wisely advertising campaign featuring the Roaming Gnome and "The Customer 1st Guarantee". The tagline was also changed from "Go and Smell the Roses" to "Wander Wisely".<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.prweb.com/releases/travelocity_launches_new_advertising_campaign_wander_wisely_/prweb13234594.htm | title=Travelocity Launches New Advertising Campaign: "Wander Wisely" | publisher=PRWeb | date=February 26, 2016}}</ref>

Travelocity had been a longstanding sponsor of the American reality show '']'', sponsoring the series from the first season until season 34, when they were replaced by parent company Expedia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.clickz.com/the-dangers-of-amazing-media-sponsorships/56135/|title=The Dangers of Amazing Media Sponsorships|work=ClickZ|last=Wegert|first=Tessa|date=November 13, 2008|access-date=December 16, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2022/11/amazing-race-34-episode-8-la-ville-rose-recap/|title=In another old-school Amazing Race episode, struggles to navigate permeate|work=Reality Blurred|last=Dehnart|first=Andy|date=November 9, 2022|access-date=December 9, 2023}}</ref>

⚫ ==Controversies==
===Drop pricing; exclusion of surcharges===
⚫ In July 2012, the ] (DOT) fined Travelocity $180,000 after discovering that Travelocity's "flexible dates tool" did not always include ]s that were part of many international airfares, in violation of DOT rules requiring all carrier-imposed surcharges and fees to be included in every advertised fare. In addition, the DOT found that the customer was informed only on the final page before purchasing the ticket that some itineraries required a paper ticket with a minimum additional delivery fee of $29.95.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/240777-travelocity-fined-for-violating-dot-airfare-advertising-rules | title=Travelocity fined for violating DOT airfare advertising rules | first=KEITH | last=LAING | work=] | date=July 27, 2012}}</ref>

===Cancellation of trips booked with promo code===
⚫ In August 2012, Travelocity offered a $200 coupon code to attendees at the ] annual conference in Dallas. After the NFB posted the code on ] without mentioning the attendee restriction, Travelocity re-tweeted it without noticing the error but deleted the tweet a day later. After some travel blogs and message boards re-posted the code, many ineligible travelers used the code.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/bs-tr-travelocity-nfb-20120809-story.html | title=Travelocity NFB dispute | first=Michelle | last=Deal-Zimmerman | work=] | date=August 10, 2012 | url-access=subscription}}</ref> Travelocity responded by cancelling all trips of people that used the code who were not on the list of attendees at the NFB annual conference. This resulted in a barrage of complaints from customers.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/08/10/good-deed-gone-viral-creates-web-headache-for-travelocity | title=Good Deed Gone Viral Creates Web Headache for Travelocity | first=Danielle | last=Kurtzleben | work=] | date=August 10, 2012}}</ref>


==References== ==References==
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==External links== ==External links==
*{{official website|http://www.travelocity.com/ |mobile= http://m.travelocity.com/}} *{{official website|www.travelocity.com}}
*{{official website|http://www.travelocity.ca/|name=Canadian}}{{flag|CAN}}{{official website |1= http://www.travelocity.ca/?&langid=3084 |name= {{fr icon}} }} *{{official website|http://www.travelocity.ca/|name=Canadian website}}{{flag|CAN}}


{{Travel ticket search engines}} {{Travel ticket search engines}}
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{{Expedia, Inc.}} {{Expedia, Inc.}}


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Latest revision as of 14:14, 19 September 2024

Online travel agency
Travelocity.com
Type of businessSubsidiary
Type of siteTravel agency
FoundedJanuary 1996; 28 years ago (1996-01)
HeadquartersDallas, Texas, U.S.
IndustryTravel
ParentExpedia Group

Travelocity.com is an online travel agency owned by the American Expedia Group. It has 12.4 million monthly unique visitors, making it the third most popular website owned by Expedia Group, after Expedia.com and Hotels.com.

One of the pioneers of web-based disintermediation, Travelocity.com was the first website that allowed consumers the ability to purchase travel tickets without the help of a person.

In addition to airfares, the site also permits consumers to book hotel rooms, rental cars, cruises and packaged vacations.

History

American Airlines began offering customer access to its electronic reservation system, Sabre, in 1978 to travel agencies, and in the mid-1980s on CompuServe and GEnie to consumers under the "eAAsySabre" brand name. The CEO of eAAsySabre was Kathy Misunas. Under the "Saabre" brand, it was a popular feature of online services such as Prodigy and America Online in the early 1990s.

Travelocity was created in 1995 as a joint venture between Worldview Systems Corporation and Sabre Corporation. The founding team at Worldview conceived of the idea in 1994 as an extension to their online travel database offering which had been distributed through Sabre, Bloomberg, AOL and many others. The founding team at Worldview joined with distribution partner Sabre in a 50-50 JV that resulted in the development and launch of Travelocity in 1995-1996.

In 1996, Worldview's investors, Advance Publications and Ameritech, sold their stake in Travelocity to Sabre Corporation. It was run by long-time Sabre information technology executive Terry Jones.

Travelocity gained popularity after a 1999 partnership with AOL.

In 2000, Sabre negotiated a merger of Travelocity with Preview Travel. The resulting company was listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange, with Sabre owning around 70% of the company.

In March 2002, Sabre reacquired all outstanding shares of the brand via a tender offer. Jones left the company shortly afterward, in May 2002.

In March 2002, Travelocity acquired last minute travel specialist Site59.com. The CEO and founder of Site59, Michelle Peluso, joined Travelocity with the acquisition as senior vice president, product strategy and distribution. Peluso became Travelocity's COO in April 2003 and was then named president and chief executive officer of Travelocity in December 2003. Many members of Peluso's former management team at Site59 were appointed to senior management positions at Travelocity.

In 2004, Travelocity introduced an advertising campaign known as "Where Is My Gnome?".

In 2005, Travelocity acquired lastminute.com for £577 million. The acquisition included allhotels.com, which was founded in 1997 by Richard Irwin, acquired by Online Travel Corporation (OTC) in 2002 for £1.4 million, and later acquired by lastminute.com in 2004.

In January 2009, CEO Michelle Peluso announced her resignation and was replaced by Sabre executive Hugh Jones.

In April 2011, president and CEO Hugh Jones moved to a position at Sabre and Gilt Groupe president Carl Sparks was brought in as president and CEO of Travelocity. Sparks had been general manager of Hotels.com and was previously chief marketing officer of Expedia.

In December 2012, Travelocity sold Zuji to Webjet for $25 million.

In June 2013, Travelocity Business, a corporate travel agency, was sold to Atlanta, Georgia-based BCD Travel.

In August 2013, Expedia Inc. announced an agreement with Travelocity to power its United States and Canadian websites.

In November 2013, Travelocity shut down its IgoUgo website.

In May 2014, CEO Carl Sparks stepped down as CEO of Travelocity. After the departure of Sparks, Roshan Mendis, President of Travelocity was named to manage operations of Travelocity's operations in the Americas, while Matthew Crummack, CEO of lastminute.com was named to manage operations in Europe.

In December 2014, Travelocity sold lastminute.com to Swiss-based Bravofly Rumbo for £76 million.

In January 2015, Travelocity was sold by Sabre to Expedia, Inc. for $280 million.

In November 2015, Travelocity hired Assembly in New York to handle US media. Until then, media had been handled by Publics Groupe's Zenith Media.

In December 2015, Travelocity relaunched its Travel for Good program that offers a $5,000 grant for a selected volunteer to participate in volunteer travel programs with various nonprofit organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, Globe Aware, and the American Hiking Society.

In February 2016, Travelocity launched its Wander Wisely advertising campaign featuring the Roaming Gnome and "The Customer 1st Guarantee". The tagline was also changed from "Go and Smell the Roses" to "Wander Wisely".

Travelocity had been a longstanding sponsor of the American reality show The Amazing Race, sponsoring the series from the first season until season 34, when they were replaced by parent company Expedia.

Controversies

Drop pricing; exclusion of surcharges

In July 2012, the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) fined Travelocity $180,000 after discovering that Travelocity's "flexible dates tool" did not always include fuel surcharges that were part of many international airfares, in violation of DOT rules requiring all carrier-imposed surcharges and fees to be included in every advertised fare. In addition, the DOT found that the customer was informed only on the final page before purchasing the ticket that some itineraries required a paper ticket with a minimum additional delivery fee of $29.95.

Cancellation of trips booked with promo code

In August 2012, Travelocity offered a $200 coupon code to attendees at the National Federation of the Blind annual conference in Dallas. After the NFB posted the code on Twitter without mentioning the attendee restriction, Travelocity re-tweeted it without noticing the error but deleted the tweet a day later. After some travel blogs and message boards re-posted the code, many ineligible travelers used the code. Travelocity responded by cancelling all trips of people that used the code who were not on the list of attendees at the NFB annual conference. This resulted in a barrage of complaints from customers.

References

  1. "Audience". Expedia Group.
  2. ^ O'Neill, Sean (October 18, 2012). "How to innovate: Lessons learned the hard way by Travelocity founder Terry Jones". Phocuswire.
  3. ^ Schaal, Dennis (2016). "The Definitive oral history of online travel". Skift.
  4. Gutis, Philip S. (December 23, 1989). "More Trips Start at a Home Computer". The New York Times.
  5. Lewis, Peter H. (January 12, 1992). "Booking With a Computer". The New York Times.
  6. Baranger, Walter (September 10, 1995). "Booking a Trip On the Internet". The New York Times.
  7. Schaal, Dennis (April 10, 2006). "Travelocity, AOL expand partnership". Travel Weekly.
  8. ^ "Sabre's Travelocity.com and Preview Travel to Merge, Establishing Clear Leader in Online Travel" (Press release). PR Newswire. October 4, 1999.
  9. Norris, Floyd (March 7, 2002). "THE MARKETS: Market Place; In trying to acquire all of Travelocity, Sabre finds itself in a struggle to regain what it once had". The New York Times.
  10. Sandoval, Greg (May 9, 2002). "More Travelocity execs say bon voyage". CNET.
  11. STRINGER, KORTNEY (March 26, 2002). "Travelocity.com Agrees to Buy Rival Site59.com for $43 Million". The Wall Street Journal.
  12. Schaal, Dennis (January 20, 2009). "Travelocity restructures with a global focus". Travel Weekly.
  13. Stevenson, Seth (February 16, 2004). "Gnome Is Where the Heart Is". Slate.
  14. Richardson, Tim (12 May 2005). "Travelocity buys Lastminute.com for £577m". The Register.
  15. "Online Travel Corporation (OTC) Buys All-Hotels". Hospitalitynet.org. 24 September 2002.
  16. "Travelocity revs up allhotels as an answer to Priceline in Europe, Asia, Latin America". Phocuswire. April 30, 2010.
  17. "Hugh Jones to Head Travelocity Global as Michelle Peluso Announces Departure" (Press release). Sabre. January 7, 2009.
  18. "Travelocity replaces CEO with former Hotels.com exec". Phocuswire. April 4, 2011.
  19. May, Kevin (December 12, 2012). "Travelocity sells Asia-Pacific agency Zuji to Webjet for $25 million". Phocuswire.
  20. "BCD Travel acquires Travelocity Business from Travelocity" (Press release). BCD Travel. June 18, 2013.
  21. Jones, Charisse (23 August 2013). "Expedia to provide key services for rival Travelocity". USA Today.
  22. "RIP IgoUgo - the review site Travelocity wanted to compete with TripAdvisor". Phocuswire. November 19, 2013.
  23. "Has CEO Carl Sparks ended his trip with Travelocity?". American City Business Journals. May 8, 2014.
  24. "Lastminute.com sold to Swiss travel firm in £76m deal". BBC News. 16 December 2014.
  25. Dastin, Jeffrey (January 23, 2015). "Expedia Inc acquires Travelocity in $280 million deal". Reuters.
  26. De La Merced, Michael J. (23 January 2015). "Expedia Buys Travelocity for $280 Million in Cash". The New York Times.
  27. Chowdhry, Amit (25 January 2015). "Expedia Has Acquired Travelocity For $280 Million In Cash". Forbes.
  28. Panzar, Javier (23 January 2015). "Expedia buys rival Travelocity for $280 million". Los Angeles Times.
  29. Gianatasio, David (November 2, 2015). "Travelocity Hires a New Media Agency to Crack the Code Around Millennials". AdWeek.
  30. "Travelocity Relaunches Travel for Good Grant Program for "Voluntourist" Hopefuls" (Press release). PR Newswire. September 21, 2015.
  31. "Travelocity Launches New Advertising Campaign: "Wander Wisely"" (Press release). PRWeb. February 26, 2016.
  32. Wegert, Tessa (November 13, 2008). "The Dangers of Amazing Media Sponsorships". ClickZ. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  33. Dehnart, Andy (November 9, 2022). "In another old-school Amazing Race episode, struggles to navigate permeate". Reality Blurred. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  34. LAING, KEITH (July 27, 2012). "Travelocity fined for violating DOT airfare advertising rules". The Hill.
  35. Deal-Zimmerman, Michelle (August 10, 2012). "Travelocity NFB dispute". The Baltimore Sun.
  36. Kurtzleben, Danielle (August 10, 2012). "Good Deed Gone Viral Creates Web Headache for Travelocity". U.S. News & World Report.

External links

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Webby Awards
Nominee, 1997 award in the category Travel
Nominee, 1998 award in the category Travel
winner, 2001 award in the category Commerce
Awards ceremonies
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