A little more than a year after Sabre outsourced most of Travelocity’s operations to Expedia Inc., Sabre went one step further by selling the Travelocity brand and associated assets to Expedia for $280 million in cash.
Expedia has been powering Travelocity under a strategic marketing agreement, processing bookings and supplying content and customer support. The deal was considered a de facto acquisition when it was made. Now Expedia has assumed control of the brand itself.
Calling Travelocity one of the most recognized travel brands in North America, Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said that the acquisition “strengthens the Expedia Inc. family’s ability to continue to innovate and deliver the very best travel experiences to the widest set of travelers, all over the world."
Sabre CEO Tom Klein called the divestment “a logical next step."
“Our primary focus at Sabre is to provide mission-critical software solutions to our global airline, hospitality and travel agency customers, and to help them support their customers every day,” he said.