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Revision as of 15:41, 6 October 2004 by Dpol (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Travelocity is an online travel agency operated by Travelocity.com LP. Travelocity was created in 1996 as a subsidiary of Sabre Holdings, and run by long-time Sabre I.T. executive Terrell B. "Terry" Jones.
According to Sabre, Travelocity is the sixth-largest travel agency in the United States. In addition to its primary US consumer site, Travelocity operates a business portal and comparable websites in Canada, Germany, France, the Scandinavian countries, and the United Kingdom, and is a partner in Asian travel hubs Tabini and Zuji. Other brands include Site59.com, a last-minute travel technology and content provider, and World Choice Travel, a travel affiliate marketing program.
As one of the pioneers of web-based disintermediation, Travelocity.com was the first website that allowed consumers themselves (acting without the help of a travel agent or broker) not only to access Sabre's fare and schedule information, but also to reserve, book, and purchase tickets. In addition to airfares, the site also permits consumers to book hotel rooms, rental cars, cruises, and packaged vacations.
In 2000 Sabre negotiated a merger of Travelocity with another early web travel company, Preview Travel. The resulting company was independently quoted on the NASDAQ exchange, with Sabre continuing to own around 70% of the combined company's stock. In 2002, with Travelocity's fortunes suffering from competition including Expedia and Orbitz, Sabre bought all of the outstanding shares in Travelocity and remerged the business into Sabre as a subsidiary. Jones left the company shortly afterward.
Travelocity's web-marketing efforts have been the subject of criticism, with some users annoyed by Travelocity's use of popup windows in their advertising.