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Away.com Unveils Enhanced Website Making It Easier for Travelers to Plan a Vacation Based on Lifestyle

New Site Experience Helps Grow Orbitz Worldwide's Advertising Business
PRNewswire-FirstCall
CHICAGO and WASHINGTON
(NYSE:OWW)

CHICAGO and WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Away.com (http://www.away.com/), a leading travel planning website and brand of Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW), today unveiled its newly enhanced website. The site now provides comprehensive trip planning tools, more robust content and easier search navigation - making it simpler for travelers to research and plan a trip according to their specific preferences.

With more than two million pages of content and destination guides for over 35,000 locations now searchable by lifestyle and interest, Away.com continues to improve its site offerings that have helped drive Orbitz Worldwide's growing advertising business. Orbitz Worldwide's advertising revenue, which increased approximately 25 percent year-over-year in the first half of 2008, includes travel and non-travel related advertising sales on Away.com as well as on its Orbitz (http://www.orbitz.com/), CheapTickets (http://www.cheaptickets.com/), ebookers (http://www.ebookers.com/) and HotelClub (http://www.hotelclub.com/) websites.

"Away.com continues to be an important part of Orbitz Worldwide's overall growth strategy as we diversify our revenue with a growing advertising business," said Steve Barnhart, CEO and president of Orbitz Worldwide. "The site's new offerings enable our company to provide more relevant content to consumers and to advertisers interested in reaching a sophisticated group of travel enthusiasts."

Personalizing the Travel Planning Experience

To help travelers better search its more than two million pages of content covering over 35,000 destinations around the world, Away.com has added new "lifestyle verticals" to the site which include Family, Beach, Active & Adventure, Parks & Outdoors, LGBT and Ski. Unlike other travel planning sites, Away.com now allows vacationers to search by lifestyle, destination - or both.

For example, travelers planning a family getaway who are unsure of their destination can search the "family" section to get expert recommendations on the top family-friendly destinations. If a family has already chosen a vacation location, through a "destination" search they can find the family guide to that destination with recommendations on lodging, activities and attractions perfectly suited for families.

"Finding information that is specific to a traveler's lifestyle or interests is one of the most important aspects in planning a memorable trip," said Eric Brodnax, general manager of Away.com. "Away.com is introducing a whole new way of searching for and planning travel, coupling existing and fresh content with new and highly intuitive technology that individualizes the planning experience for each traveler."

"Finding information that is specific to a traveler's lifestyle or interests is one of the most important aspects in planning a memorable trip," said Eric Brodnax, general manager of Away.com. "Away.com is introducing a whole new way of searching for and planning travel, coupling existing and fresh content with new and highly intuitive technology that individualizes the planning experience for each traveler."

-- Hotel and attraction recommendations
-- Expert content such as highlights, overviews, and feature articles
-- Enhanced imagery including photo galleries, videos, and screensavers
-- Social media and interactive tools such as Q&As, user ratings/reviews, blogs and polls
-- Enhanced mapping and lists of top places to visit within a destination
-- The web's largest directory or vacation rentals, covering more than 100,000 properties

About Away.com
Based in Washington, DC, Away.com (http://www.away.com/) is a leading travel planning website that offers more than two million pages of content covering over 35,000 destinations worldwide. In addition to its editorial offerings, the website provides consumers with access to listings for vacation rentals, adventure tour operators and other travel resources and suppliers. Away.com's blend of expert and consumer advice is integrated into online travel websites Orbitz (http://www.orbitz.com/) and CheapTickets (http://www.cheaptickets.com/). In addition to Away.com, The Away Network also owns GORP.com (http://www.gorp.com/), a leading website focused on hiking, camping, and national parks vacations, and manages Outside Online (http://www.outsideonline.com/), the website of Outside, America's leading active lifestyle magazine. Founded in 1999 and supported by advertising, Away.com is a brand that is owned and operated by Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW).

About Orbitz Worldwide
Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW) is a leading global online travel company that uses innovative technology to enable leisure and business travelers to research, plan and book a broad range of travel products. Orbitz Worldwide owns and operates a portfolio of consumer brands that includes Orbitz (http://www.orbitz.com/), CheapTickets (http://www.cheaptickets.com/), ebookers (http://www.ebookers.com/), HotelClub (http://www.hotelclub.com/), RatesToGo (http://www.ratestogo.com/), the Away Network (http://www.away.com/), and corporate travel brand Orbitz for Business (http://www.orbitzforbusiness.com/). For more information on how your company can partner with Orbitz Worldwide, visit http://corp.orbitz.com/.

SOURCE: Away.com

CONTACT: Abby Hunt or Marita Thomas for Away.com, +1-312-894-4734, abigail.hunt@orbitz.com; or Nicole Lawler of Brodeur for Away.com, +1-617-587-2024, nlawler@brodeur.com; Brian Hoyt of Orbitz Worldwide, +1-312-894-6890, bhoyt@orbitz.com

Web site: http://www.away.com/
http://www.orbitz.com/

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Network Sites and Company Information:

Away.com: The Web's best travel and vacation-planning resource. Great expert reviews and trip ideas for your travel interests and all the flights, hotels, and attraction information to get you there.

GORP.com: Comprehensive resource for adventure travel, outdoor sports and gear, national parks, and more.

OutsideOnline: America's leading active-lifestyle and adventure-travel magazine dedicated to covering the world outside, with great features, gear reviews, online exclusives, and more.

GORPtravel.com: Online travel directory of active vacations and adventure tour outfitters, providing you with a one-stop shop to research and plan your next adventure.

Trip.com: Free travel search site designed to help travelers like you find the cheapest flights, cheapest hotels, cheapest car rentals, and cheapest vacation packages across all of your favorite travel websites with one easy click. 

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