When you hit the internet, you will find tons of online travel agenc ies in USA and the world that are serving to tourists. Each of the company is offering something unique to grab the attention of travelers and stand out in the competition.
For example, AAA Travels offers special discounts and guidance to members, Priceline offers VIP rewards programs, and Travelocity offers budget-friendly vacations, while Orbitz stands out through strong search functionality and cheap travel prices.
Let’s explore about Orbitz, its features, bookings, and pros and cons.
Orbitz – Travel Metasearch Engine
- Founded: 2001
- Founder: Jeffrey Katz
- Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Parent: Expedia Group
Orbitz is a travel fare aggregator website and metasearch engine owned by Orbitz Worldwide, Inc., a part of Expedia Group. Travelers can book hotels, flights, rental cars, and activities easily for their tours and vacations.
It is best for budget-friendly travelers due to its deals and discounts on hotels, flights, and other vacation planning. However, the company offers a loyalty rewards program for users to earn bucks that can be used for discounts on bookings.
Additionally, it allows hotel owners to list their hotels and expand their reach to larger people.
Orbitz Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Strong search functionality | Rewards expire in a year |
| Round trip flight search | Promo code needs an advance payment |
| Easy to use and book | Unreliable customer support |
| Price protection | |
| VIP access and rewards program | |
| Mobile App |
Orbitz Customer Services
Orbitz offers several customer services to tourists around the world, including flight booking, hotel booking, cruises, and other things to do. Here is a brief overview of customer services.
1 – Orbitz Flights
Orbitz has partnership with 400 plus airlines and it offers both domestic and internation flight booking. Customers can book flight tickets in advance or find cheap flights for their travelers. However, you can compare the prices with Google Flights to find the best fare.
Following are steps to book flights:
- First of all, open the official site Flights tab and choose among Round Trip, One way, Multi-city and flight class.
- Enter your Departure and Going to Destination plus Date and number of travelers and hit Serach
- It will provide a list of available airlines with airfare to choose from
- After choosing a flight, confirm your flight directly through the website and add your information and payment options.
2 – Orbitz Hotels
The parent company also allows customers to book hotels and resorts for their stays anywhere in the world. If you log in to the website before hotel booking then you can save up to 10% and VIP access.
- On the site, click on the Stays tab to find a hotel for your stay.
- Enter your destination, dates, number of travelers, rooms and search
- You will find the list of available hotels in your going location.
- Choose a hotel according to your preferences, read amenities and facilities and reserve your room for your stay.
- Provide your information and credentials to confirm booking.
3 – Orbitz Vacation Packages
They reduce the stress of journey to offers you book your vacations and enjoy the time with loved. You can search the vacation facilities and book what you need for your vacations like hotels, resorts, or flights. Car rental is also included if you want to book a car for your road trips, and pick&drop.
You can enter your departure and going to destination with travel dates and number of people to search for.
- The site will suggest the recommended flights and hotels in your going to destination with airfare.
- Click on the flight and hotel you find suitable for you, provide your details and confirm booking.
4 – Orbitz Car Rental
Car rental is also included in Orbitz customer services to offer convenience for pick an drop. Customers can advance book cars for their pick&drop or road trips with friends.
- To find the car for you, enter the cars tab on the website Enter your pick-up location, time and date to find the taxi for you
- You will see the list of available cars in your location with size and rates, so you can pick one that suits your journey.
5 – Orbitz Cruises
For adventurous and luxury travelers, they have partnered with cruise companies and offers cruise vacation booking. There are several companies are listed all with different facilities and rates.
- You can enter your departure location, date month, night stays and number of passengers to search the cruise for you.
- From available list of cruises you can pick the one that suit you or filter the result by low or high price to find the suitable option for you.
6 – Orbitz Activities
Unlike other travel services, Orbitz also allows the tourists to book their fun activities their visiting cities like national park visits, museums, historic places, concerts, tickets, food events and the best things to do. It is the best way to explore cultural activities with tour guides to have fun on vacations and learn more about new places.
How Do Orbitz Bookings Work?
Like other travel agencies, Orbitz acts as a middleman between operators and tourists. It earns commission for bookings, and customers enjoy the perks of early booking and low prices.
However, customers enter their departure and arrival destinations for flights, hotels and vacations, it provides the list of available airlines and hotels. Customers can browse through different options and choose the best one according to their preferences.
After choosing the perfect one, they can directly book and operators are notified for confirmation.
Orbitz App
- Available for: Android and iOS
- Price: Free
Orbitz mobile app is the leading way to book travel on smartphones. The app offers features such as flight status notifications, direct messaging, real-time alerts, and rewards for bookings made through the app.
Travelers can earn rewards by booking through the Orbitz app, receiving 4% back on hotel bookings made in the app compared to 3% on the website.
Orbitz Loyalty Rewards
The Orbitz offers loyalty programs for each customer who books through the Orbitz website or App. However, it is important to sign up or sign in before booking anything. The company offers Orbuck as cashback on each booking that customers can use for discounts in their next booking.
It also offers debt card rewards and hotel insider prices with discounts of up to 50%. Orbitz gives 1% and 3% returns on website booking, while the booking app gives 4% to 5% return Orbucks. Customers with more Orbucks can get VIP access, and low and insider prices of airlines and hotels.
Is Orbitz worth it?
Being part of the Expedia group, Orbitz is a trustworthy site for booking hotels, flights, and vacations. However, some travelers have reported issues with customer service and trip cancellations, which should be improved for the parent company.
Its search capabilities, rewards system, VIP access, and airline and hotel partnerships around the world make it worth booking anything from a single platform. Additionally, its insider prices and low rates also attract tourists to book through Orbitz.
Verdicts
Orbitz offers exclusive deals and discounts through Orbucks and rewards system. It is completely owned by expedia group and it has partnership with more 400 airlines and thousands of hotels.
Tourists can book hotels, flights, vacation packages, and cruises for their next tours. However, its rewards system, refund policy, price guarantee, and insider prices are great features of this site.
The website is userfriendly and everyone can easily book online, plus its mobile app allows you to send direct messages, and get real-time alerts and Orbucks on each booking.
FAQ’s
Who owns Orbitz?
Orbitz is owned by Expedia Group Inc.
How do I contact Orbitz customer service?
You can contact Orbitz through the customer service number ( 00 1 312-279-7777 ) Email your queries, contact the help centre or direct message through the app.
What does Orbitz offer?
Orbitz Offers travel planning and deals on flights, car rental, cruises, vacation planning, and hotel booking.
What are orbucks good for?
Orbucks are return rewards for customers that they can redeem and use for hotel booking.