Google Flight Search Opens For Jet Setters On A Budget (PICTURES)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP/THE HUFFINGTON POST) -- Google Inc.'s search results for airline tickets are finally getting a lift from a key piece of technology that it bought earlier this year.

The Internet search leader's revised approach to airfare queries appeared Tuesday in a newly opened "flights" section of Google.com.

It's the first time Google has extensively deployed the tools it picked up from its $676 million purchase of leading airline fare tracker ITA Software.

The deal faced fierce opposition from other online travel services that argued Google would be able to combine its dominance of Internet search with ITA Software's technology to gain an unfair advantage.

After a lengthy investigation, the Justice Department approved the acquisition in April. But the department imposed a series of conditions that included an agreement requiring Google to license ITA Software's technology to other companies until 2016.

Google has promised to make it easier and quicker to find the best prices being offered by airlines. The version that debuted Tuesday didn't appear to have anything dramatically different from what other travel search engines have been providing.

Kayak, which was among the travel search engines trying to block the ITA acquisition, says it's ready to answer the challenge.

"We're confident in our ability to compete, and we believe our flight search technology is superior," said Robert Birge, Kayak's chief marketing officer.

Take a look at screenshots from the new service (below), and visit Google Flights to explore the product for yourself.

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Comments

[Victor Stanescu]

06:32 PM on 09/19/2011

The Google flights search is just a new step towards Google's web domination.

The next step AIR Google - In case you will not survive the crash there will be a complimentary plot in our Google Cemetery!

http://www.vectorash.ro/air-google-best-user-experience-while-crashing/

[falcon421]

10:55 PM on 09/14/2011

it looks good, if they come up with international flights, hotel, and car rentals

[KIVPossum]

10:40 AM on 09/14/2011

Durn, only supports US domestic flights

[WaPoFan]

02:41 PM on 09/14/2011

And no Southwest flights to boot

[GoogleFacebookiPhone]

09:48 AM on 09/14/2011

Of course Google's flight search enhances the ability to colour its social graph, but it is also an illustration of Google's vision to make itself the sole destination on the web by aggregating as many services as possible into a single location
----------------------------------------------------
Majid Ali
http://googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com

[guidothekp]

02:06 PM on 09/14/2011

"Of course Google's flight search enhances the ability to colour its social graph,"

How do you figure the social graph aspect from the website?

[Gurinder Dhillon]

08:20 AM on 09/14/2011

What will Google think of next, when I saw this article on the tech page with the picture of the plane under a headline that included the word Google, I thought ridiculously for a moment that Google had found a way to have a satellite fly a plane from space, I saw the video on YouTube like a year ago of the Google car, which looks like a regular Mazda, but can of course drive itself, and has driven over a 100,000 miles according to reports.

[KIVPossum]

08:16 AM on 09/14/2011

If it will save a buck, I'm in

[Yam716]

10:05 AM on 09/14/2011

It won't. I checked it out. It's fancy bc there's a pic of your destination pics, but it's basically just another travel search engine.

[Jonathan Dennis]

06:55 PM on 09/14/2011

Yeah but its now the easiest way to search for a flight.

[Luke McIntosh]

04:48 AM on 09/14/2011

Kayak is actually quite good, especially their mobile app. But I have to admit, this Google app blows them out of the water with the price graph to the right and the ability to completely customize and search. Now, if they only start to do international flights...

[rjakjr]

04:26 AM on 09/14/2011

You'd think Google would've started this long ago, either way... it'll be a nice tool to use when searching for cheap airfare from here on out.

[phazeroftruth]

03:14 AM on 09/14/2011

The did it again methinks.