"The five airlines who financed this couldn't possibly agree on who would benefit from bias, so there has to be no bias," said Jeffrey G. Katz, Orbitz's chief executive.

Those interested in drawing their own conclusions can check out the preview version of Orbitz at www.orbitz.com.

Over the past year, the competing online travel agencies have engaged in a fierce lobbying campaign to try to get the federal government to crack down on Orbitz. Two dozen state attorneys general, several members of Congress and some rival airlines have written the government expressing their concerns.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nyt/20010526/tc/corresponde nt_s_report_new_airline-owned_site_to_go_online_in_june_1.html

AND:

Last weekend's Orbitz glitch followed a bumpy takeoff for the controversial airlines-owned site. Though cleared by the Department of Transportation, it still faces scrutiny from regulators about what rivals claim is unfair access to low airfares — charges Orbitz denies. And its official June 4 launch was greeted by a host of snafus, from overwhelmed call centers to delayed response times.

The company's offer to honor the misprint, which Jouzaitis said was extended to another customer who'd tried to book the $125 cruise while it was still promoted online, is a smart move, says analyst Krista Pappas with Gomez.com, which rates Web retailers.

For an online agency whose mantra is "customer care," Orbitz "would have had hell to pay" if they'd reneged, says Pappas.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/t...-misprints.htm

[This message has been edited by doc (edited 06-14-2001).]