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Orbitz Worldwide Inc. has chosen Barney Harford to serve as chief executive officer and president, replacing Steve Barnhart, who resigned to pursue other interests.

Published: 08 Jan 2009

Orbitz Worldwide Inc. has chosen Barney Harford to serve as chief executive officer and president, replacing Steve Barnhart, who resigned to pursue other interests.

The Chicago-based online-travel company said that Barnhart will stay at Orbitz until April to help with the transition.

The company said that Harford now serves on the boards of LiquidPlanner, an on-demand project-management service, and GlobalEnglish, which provides online English-language training to companies. He also worked at Expedia Inc. from 1999 to 2006, last serving as president of Expedia Asia Pacific.

Orbitz also said it was implementing more cost-reduction measures, expected to lower its annual cost structure by another $20 million to $25 million.

Orbitz did not immediately specify the latest cost-cutting measures. The steps would be in addition to a $20 million-a-year savings target announced in November. The company said then that it cut 10 percent of its work force, or about 100 jobs.

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