LOS ANGELES, July 29, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orbitz for Business, the corporate travel brand of Orbitz Worldwide Inc. (NYSE:OWW), today announced from the Global Business Travel Association's annual conference that usage of its mobile solution by corporate travelers has increased nearly 60 percent in the last 12 months.
In 2011, Orbitz for Business became the first major corporate travel company to launch an end-to-end mobile solution that blended the ability to book all major travel products with fully customized corporate policy controls. This March, a new version of the mobile site was released, featuring a new design to increase ease-of-use with improved speed and touch responsiveness. More information about the new mobile solution can be found at http://orbitzforbusiness.com/gomobile or by visiting the company's booth (#739) for an in-person demo, located on the main aisle on the west end of the convention center.
The demand for comprehensive mobile tools and functionality has exploded globally. Studies show that last year, 80 percent of all computing devices shipped were tablets and smartphones, and today's business traveler now carries multiple mobile devices. While mobile bookings have become increasingly commonplace among leisure travelers—Orbitz.com reports more than 30 percent of its hotel room nights sold in the first quarter of 2014 came through mobile channels—business travelers have only shown similar rates of mobile adoption when provided access to improved mobile tools that deliver a consumerized experience and incorporate custom corporate travel policies. In a recent survey of general business travelers, 75 percent of respondents said they would like the ability to make, change, or cancel their travel plans from their phone, and 80 percent say they would prefer to make their own changes via smartphone or tablet instead of calling an agent for assistance.
"At Orbitz Worldwide, it's our mission to be the best place to plan and book travel on touch devices, and our revamped Orbitz for Business mobile offering is in line with that mission, giving business travelers a mobile experience that more closely mirrors the leisure experience, " said Frank Petito, president of Orbitz for Business. "Our mobile offerings are optimized for all types of mobile devices while retaining the powerful features available in our desktop experience. Equally important, our mobile product fully supports the customized policy, control and compliance requirements of corporate travel managers and their programs. Our offering leverages what we've learned about how customers like to search and book travel on Orbitz.com, one of the world's leading online travel agencies."
The Orbitz for Business mobile website seamlessly integrates all the great elements of the traditional desktop experience, while giving business travelers the flexibility, features and functionality to book a broad array of travel products and services while on the go, including:
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Make New Reservations: Search for and book thousands of flights, hotels and car rental options, including same-day and last-minute reservations. In addition, car service and rail bookings will be available this fall.
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Support for All Search Types and Filters: Sort and filter across a full range of criteria and preferences, such as searching for flights by price or schedule, or searching for hotels and cars by city, airport, company location or address.
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Trip Tracking and Itinerary Management: All travel reservations and trip details are accessible through My Trips, including the ability to cancel existing reservations and share itineraries.
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Flight Status and Traveler Updates: Check flight status on major worldwide airlines and receive our patented real-time Orbitz for Business CARE alerts to stay informed of any changes.
Additionally, the Orbitz for Business mobile website applies all existing customized corporate travel policies, controls and compliance guidelines to new reservations, such as:
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Full Policy Application for All Reservations: Travel and compliance policies are applied to new mobile reservations. This includes prioritized search results with preferred suppliers and other company-level travel policies and reference data as well as trip purpose.
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Company and Global Messaging: Global messaging from Orbitz for Business and company-specific messages appear on the mobile home page, within search results, and on booking and confirmation pages, consistently across all devices.
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Customer Service and Support: Travelers are always just one click away from 24/7 customer service, including email and telephone-based offline support.
About Orbitz for Business
Orbitz for Business is the corporate travel brand of Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE:OWW). Launched in 2002, Orbitz for Business offers a complete portfolio of global business travel products and services that help corporate customers plan, search and book travel. Orbitz for Business leverages Orbitz Worldwide technology, customized for corporate travelers. In addition to its leading technology, Orbitz for Business delivers full service, cost effective travel management solutions including 24/7 customer support; expense reporting and policy management tools; and comprehensive choice in travel inventory.
About Orbitz Worldwide
Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE:OWW) is a leading global online travel company using technology to transform the way consumers around the world plan and purchase travel. Orbitz Worldwide operates the consumer travel planning sites Orbitz (www.orbitz.com), ebookers (www.ebookers.com), HotelClub (www.hotelclub.com) and CheapTickets (www.cheaptickets.com). Also within the Orbitz Worldwide family, Orbitz Partner Network (www.orbitz.com/OPN) delivers private label travel technology solutions to a broad range of partners including some of the world`s largest airlines and travel agencies, and Orbitz for Business (www.orbitzforbusiness.com) delivers managed travel solutions for companies of all sizes. Orbitz Worldwide makes investor relations information available at investors.orbitz.com.
CONTACT: Media contacts:
Orbitz Worldwide
Trevor Kight
+1 312-260-8198
trevor.kight@orbtiz.com
