Expedia News

Lots of companies have plenty of data at their disposal to improve operations and personalize services. Whether AirAsia has the wherewithal to become a much broader e-commerce platform is a very open question.

Network airlines have long sought to drive out low-cost carriers by matching fares in certain markets. But now, equipped with basic economy fares and other options, United Airlines' Kirby vows to match the fares of new entrants in a much more rigorous way.

Get ready for some commotion in Las Vegas and other destinations where hotel resort fees are common. Will impacted hotels abandon Booking.com? Will resort fees lose their appeal for hotels? Will Expedia follow Booking's lead? The fun and gamesmanship are just starting.

The same rules that apply to run-of-the-mill travel sellers do not necessarily apply to Amazon. While cash back on flights in India may seem loss-generating and unsustainable, for Amazon it could be a winning strategy.

It's certainly possible that United may walk away from Expedia on September 30 if the two parties can't reach a new contract. Expedia is downplaying the financial impact, but the repercussions would be far-reaching — and would amount to a big hit to the Expedia brand.

Google is eating the world. When metasearch sites such as Trivago see a strategic benefit in increasing their advertising in Google metasearch, it's not only enough to make your head spin, but it's ominous from a competitive standpoint, as well.

For years, airlines had little leverage with their partners. But airlines now are strong, and they have the advantage. Why shouldn’t they use it in contractual discussions?

Expedia will stop being a controlled company after it acquires Liberty, and Barry Diller, chairman of Expedia, will own about 29 percent of the online travel group's voting power. The move makes the company's ownership structure more transparent, which is a good thing.

As the saying goes, keep your friends close and your rivals closer. Or in this case, that rival might turn out to be a friend, after all, once you've become the world's biggest hotel company.

For pundits looking for a headline that Marriott won reduced commissions from Expedia, the reality is likely far more complex than that, and it might take an audit over the next few years to truly sort out the revenue impact. The new deal has Marriott properties remaining for sale on Expedia brands, as the two companies march off into the sunset maintaining their rough-and-tumble, if symbiotic relationship.