Click to fly

摘要

Inside an office block in downtown Chicago, two large rooms next to one another look a little like NASA'S mission control. People sit at computers, facing a wall of large screens with constantly changing information. This is the heart of Orbitz, one of the big online travel agencies. Jeffrey Katz, the company's chief executive, says there is a simple reason why more and more people are using the internet to make their travel arrangements: "It's a better way to do it." But Orbitz, which was founded by a group of big airlines, and its rivals have to make it better still. Some in the industry think that strong competition and negligible buyer loyalty will cause a big shake-out soon. Some of the smaller companies have already been snapped up. In the past year America's Hotwire, which specialises in discount hotel accommodation, was bought by Barry Diller's IAC; Travel-bag, a British long-haul travel specialist, by ebookers; and Online Travel by Britain's Lastminute.