Friday, November 6, 2009

Expedia Drops Phone Booking Fees

Bellevue-based online travel booking site Expedia.com is dropping the site's phone-based booking fees, as the firm continues to reduce the various charges it has on the site. According to Expedia, it has eliminated all phone-based booking fees, for flight, car rental, hotel, or cruise reservations, which are as much as $25 per ticket at online travel agencies. The elimination of fees follows a elimination of flight reservation and booking fees by the firm in May, as other online travel sites have also been scaling back on the fees they charge for reservations. The firm said it is trying to "drive down the cost of travel" for its users. Expedia also eliminated cruise booking fees in October. Competitors Orbitz.com and Travelocity.com have also been eliminating their various fees.