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US: Consumer group asks feds to block Orbitz, Expedia merger

By  |  August 11, 2015

A leading consumer group is joining the hotel industry in asking the Department of Justice to block the proposed merger of travel booking sites Expedia and Orbitz.

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    “The proposed deal would give the combined company monopolistic control of the online booking market, enabling it to impose higher fees on hotels, which would inevitably mean higher costs for consumers,” said John Simpson of the group, Consumer Watchdog, in a letter.

    The group said that “economy travelers stand to suffer the most as these online travel agencies consolidate, since lower-priced lodging options would face the highest increase in commission costs, and consumers rely on online travel agencies to find smaller hotels and lower priced lodging options.”

    The $1.3 billion merger was announced in February and is seen as bolstering Expedia in its fight against Priceline.

    Full content: The Hill

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