Group to become the exclusive provider for Yahoo! Travel's Vacations Business, CheapTickets.com to be exclusive provider of cruise sales and service.
The Consumer Travel Americas business unit of Cendant's Travel Distribution Services Division (TDS), which includes travel brands like Orbitz, CheapTickets and Away, today announced it has entered into a distribution relationship with Yahoo! Travel.
The Neat Group, TDS's private label vacation business, will become the exclusive provider of packaged travel bookings on the Vacations tab at Yahoo! Travel. The Neat Group is a leader in providing airlines, hotels and other distributors with unique dynamic packaging technology. Neat has become an important distribution technology for a number of leading travel suppliers, online distributors and travel agencies. Neat's customers include some of the world's leading airlines, hotels, car rental brands and travel service companies.
Today's news follows the recent announcement about the launch of RSS Feed technology on Orbitz.com, featuring the My Yahoo! personal information Web page.
"Our travel businesses will continue to leverage our technology, inventory and customer care to optimize our distribution efforts in the marketplace," said Mitch Truwit, president and CEO of global consumer travel at Cendant TDS.
"We look forward to the deepening of our relationship with Yahoo! as we work with them to provide their loyal users with comprehensive vacation choices and value-added service," added Truwit.
Users of Yahoo! Travel will benefit from the new distribution relationship through:
- Improved flight options, including numerous origins and destination choices
- Better pricing as compared to purchasing individual travel components
- Experienced call center sales agents
In addition to the Yahoo! vacations relationship, CheapTickets.com, a leading online travel agency for cheaply priced travel, will be the exclusive provider of Yahoo! Travel's Cruise business. Over 70 cruise line partners are available, representing more than 1300 ports, to help consumers book the perfect voyage. Call center sales agents all have a two-year minimum of cruise experience to help customers with any questions they might have when planning a getaway on the high seas.
"We are pleased to offer Cendant's travel distribution services to our vast audience of discerning users," said Jasper Malcolmson, director of product development for Yahoo! Travel. "Yahoo! Travel is committed to providing consumers with access to a comprehensive set of content and tools to help them make confident, informed travel decisions."
