In October of 2000, Orbitz informed Governor Ryan and Mayor Daley that the company was searching for a location for its headquarters. World Business Chicago and the City's Department of Planning and Development assisted in the search of available office space in the Central Business District. Orbitz chose to locate at 200 South Wacker in the Windy City. With over 400 current employees, Orbitz Inc. became a publicly traded company on Dec. 17, 2003. when its Class A shares began trading on the Nasdaq National Market under ticker symbol ORBZ.
On June 4, 2001, Orbitz officially launched www.orbitz.com. Formed by leading U.S. airlines, Orbitz has grown to be, one of the three largest travel companies in the world, offering leisure and business travelers the widest selection of low airfares, as well as deals on lodging, car rentals, cruises, vacation packages and other travel. In 2003, gross travel bookings exceeded $3.4 billion, a 34 percent increase from 2002 levels. Currently, more than 24 million users are registered to book their travel on Orbitz.com.
Read more about Orbitz and Chicago in our July 2006 newsletter, Economic Focus.
UPDATE:
Five airlines - American, Continental, Delta, Northwest and United - came together to fulfill a mission: Develop a travel Web site that would serve people better. Enter: Alex Zoghlin, former Mosaic project member and founder of Chicago’s Neoglyphics, to lead the development and transformation of this kernel of an idea into a global powerhouse in the online travel industry.
Six years and 1200 employees later, Orbitz operates as a brand under Travelport, having recently been acquired by the Blackstone Group and relocating to its swanky new headquarters operation in downtown Chicago at 500 West Madison.
Orbitz' inventory includes more than 400 airlines, more than 65,000 lodging properties worldwide and 13 rental car brands. Orbitz prides itself on an easy-to-use matrix that displays a vast array of travel options for business and leisure travelers alike.
We applaud their commitment to Chicago and can’t wait until the next milestone to turn another page on this great Chicago success story.