Orbitz is owned by Expedia Group (the United States, NASDAQ: EXPE), which acquired the brand on 17 September 2015, as part of a $1.6 billion deal that also included ebookers and CheapTickets.[1][2] Orbitz was founded in 2001 in Chicago, Illinois and was independent until 2015.
Orbitz was launched in 2001 by five American airlines as a joint venture intended to compete with the agencies selling their seats, an arrangement that drew antitrust scrutiny from the outset. Expedia acquired it in 2015 for about $1.6 billion, so the challenger became part of the incumbent.
How often Expedia Group names Orbitz in its annual report
A plain count of the times the name appears in the text of each annual report, not counting the start of a sentence. A brand that an owner writes about more is usually one it treats as central. The brand is named less often than it was three years earlier.
Expedia Group is a publicly listed company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States, founded in 1996. Brandtree records 9 brands under its control, and it is listed as NASDAQ: EXPE.
Expedia began in 1996 as a division of Microsoft, was spun out in 1999, and passed through Barry Diller's IAC before becoming independent again in 2005. It owns most of the American online travel brands that appear to compete with each other, which is why comparing Expedia against Hotels.com and Orbitz compares three products from one company.
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,549 brands that began in the United States.
478 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; Orbitz is not one of them.
Expedia acquired Orbitz Worldwide for $12 per share in cash, about $1.6 billion including debt. The United States Department of Justice closed its review without challenge, concluding the merged firm would still face competition from Priceline and from hotels selling direct.
The parent company of Orbitz is Expedia Group, a publicly listed company headquartered in the United States.
Is Orbitz American?
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Yes. Orbitz originated in the United States in 2001 and its owner, Expedia Group, is also headquartered in the United States.
When did Expedia Group buy Orbitz?
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Expedia Group completed its acquisition of Orbitz on 17 September 2015, after announcing the deal on 12 February 2015. The deal, which also included ebookers and CheapTickets, was valued at $1.6 billion (enterprise value).
Who owned Orbitz before Expedia Group?
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Orbitz was an independent company from its founding in 2001 in Chicago, Illinois until Expedia Group acquired it in 2015.
Is Orbitz still owned by Expedia Group?
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Yes. As of 16 September 2026, Orbitz is still owned by Expedia Group. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (2) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
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