Travelocity Closes Clintwood Call Center, Moves Jobs to India (2004)

by Lewis Loflin

In February 2004, Travelocity announced the closure of its customer-service call center in Clintwood, Dickenson County, Virginia, and the transfer of approximately 250 positions to WNS Global Services facilities, primarily in India.

The Clintwood center had opened in June 2001 with substantial state and local incentives totaling roughly $10 million. Travelocity cited the need to remain cost-competitive with rivals already outsourcing customer-service operations.

Employees were offered severance packages and the opportunity to apply for positions at remaining U.S. centers in Texas and Pennsylvania. The move came as a significant setback for Dickenson County, where unemployment was already above 11% at the time.

Source: The Times of India (TNN), February 13, 2004