Expedia News

Expedia and Priceline are throwing a ton of money into marketing through TripAdvisor but rest assured they will be looking to reduce their reliance on TripAdvisor as soon as feasible. After all, that is one of the reasons Expedia acquired Trivago and Priceline bought Kayak.

Barring a reversal in market conditions, buckle up because 2015 is looking like it will be a very active year in mergers and acquisitions among online travel companies.

Travel tricks coming soon to a wrist near you.

The online travel duopoly, The Priceline Group and Expedia Inc., remains in place. But as history and Expedia's turnaround show, the pecking order isn't necessarily going to stay this way over the long term.

It looks like the Priceline Group's Darren Huston doth protest too much and is feeling the pressure generated by Expedia Inc.'s acquisition strategy.

The Priceline Group won't admit it but its management is feeling the heat from Expedia Inc.'s moves. Adding Orbitz Worldwide to Expedia Inc. will only increase Expedia's inorganic growth, which is growth nonetheless.

Independent hotels and chains will all feel the impact of the consolidation of Orbitz Worldwide into Expedia Inc. Independents didn't have much clout before the acquisition, and the chains will feel the pressure, too.

The antitrust prospects of Expedia Inc.'s $1.6 billion acquisition of Orbitz Worldwide hinge on which prism competition authorities choose to view the deal. Expedia would have a 75 percent share of the U.S. online travel agency market but consumers have plenty of other ways to book their trips, too.

Building an online flight business, with all of the inherent complexities, is very difficult work. Expedia Inc. is going to throw some more money at it, and it can make gains while providing an additional differentiator from Booking.com, which offers lodging only.

Don't expect the buying binge and consolidation in online travel to slow down any time soon. Expedia, the Priceline Group and TripAdvisor all intend to keep on acquiring puzzle pieces in 2015. HomeAway anyone?