Desperate times call for desperate measures benefit consumers. As online travel agencies slug it out in the hunt for market share, many are starting to cut booking fees -- ironically, in stark contrast to what the airlines themselves are doing. While the airlines are looking to squeeze every last ounce of revenue from each passenger mile, the websites that put people in seats are hungry for any competitive advantage they can find.

Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW) has permanently kicked its airline booking fees on both domestic and international flights. Travelocity is following suit, to a limited extent, at least, by continuing to wave booking fees ... a measure that Expedia Inc (NASDAQ: EXPE) is taking, as well. What started as promotions are fast becoming the norm.

The shares of Orbitz Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: OWW) are skidding all over the charts today following the company's second-quarter earnings release. Orbitz confessed to a net loss of $5 million, or six cents per share, much improved from its year-ago loss of $32 million. Revenue for the recently concluded quarter inched 1% higher to $231 million.

While the results were better than the same quarter in 2007, analysts were looking for an even smaller loss of three cents per share on more robust revenue of $234 million.

Gross bookings increased 4% to $3 billion, thanks to a little help from overseas -- international bookings rocketed 41% higher, compared to a 1% slump in domestic bookings. Orbitz's international business now accounts for 23% of its revenue, up three percentage points from the year prior.

Despite the challenges facing Orbitz, president and CEO Steven Barnhart professed his enthusiasm about some new initiatives to drive growth. Specifically, the travel firm is launching a new "Price Assurance" functionality, and the company just entered a multi-year partnership with Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) to serve as the online provider for MSN.com's travel portals. Barnhart said these initiatives "will accelerate our domestic growth in the second half of the year and help offset any impact from current economic and travel industry uncertainty."