by Gregory Karp, The Seattle Times
Orbitz Worldwide was officially bought by former rival Expedia on Thursday, a day after federal regulators dropped an objection to the $1.6 billion merger.
The combination marks a major development in the ongoing consolidation of the online travel industry with Expedia, the No. 1 player based in Bellevue, buying Chicago-based Orbitz, which was No. 3 in market share but had struggled to gain ground with its overreliance on flight bookings instead of more lucrative hotel bookings.
Expedia closes deal to buy Orbitz
