Expedia is holding off on its acquisition of Orbitz announced in February. The Bellevue-based travel giant pushed back the termination date on the merger agreement from Aug. 12 to Nov. 12.
No reason was given for the extension, which allows the companies to withdraw from the $1.6 billion deal. However, the Justice Department is looking into the merger.
Expedia has been on an acquisition spree lately. Travelocity joined the company in January. It acquired Australia’s Wotif.com last year, took a majority stake in its joint venture with AirAsia in February and invested $270 million in Latin America’s Decolar.com in March.
The hotel industry is worried that the merger would allow Expedia to exert its control over online booking by raising prices and negotiating higher fees for hoteliers.
