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Google Acquires ITA Software, Regulators May Balk
marino02 tips news that Google has acquired ITA Software, a company who sells travel-related software and information, for $700 million. "Google said it plans to use ITA's technology in its Web search tools and to allow potential passengers to shop for tickets right from Google. Travel search makes up a huge portion of Google searches, but it's a complicated type of search to express in a query box, [said Marissa Mayer]." Analysts expect the deal to come under scrutiny from the FTC. "With this deal, Google will have transformed itself into one of the biggest power brokers in the travel industry. It will control the leading software for powering online airline reservations. It will be able to provide something in its own search results above and beyond what its competitors — who merely license the ITA software — will be able to produce. And it will become the leading online advertising buy for travel-related advertisers (assuming it wasn't already) if it doesn't butcher the rollout of user-friendly airline search tools within Google's already popular interface."
Stay good google! You're the first company that I still rooted for when you were no longer the underdog. Sigh.
With google earth and street view I don't actually need to leave the basement any more.
Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
getting sick of Google EVERYWHERE.
Where is the FTC. Ooooops, I forgot. It's an oligarchy.
Yours In Krasnoyarsk,
Kilgore Trout
Hey, Bing, sorry that latest software update caused all your flights to be listed as "Oceanic 815." We'll roll out a fix for that in the next 4-6 months.
Airplane Photos, Airline News, Planespotting Guides
Finally, a company that I have a little faith in might FINALLY get the travel industry sorted out.
I'm anticipating the next time I use Google Maps to have the options of traveling by car, bike, walking, public transit, and by air.
One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
Google is so smart they think of anyway to make good revenue and them now being the biggest power brokers in the travel industry good for them. I would like see a chrome chrome add on for this. Go Google!
http://www.thetechnologygeek.org
at southwest.com.
I find it amusing that 15 years ago people laughed because all they gave you was a bag of free bag of peanuts and a soda. Today they are a luxury because they don't charge you for bags and still give you a free bag of peanuts and a free soda.
And they are the only airline I fly domestically these days.
"The problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money" - Thatcher.
There was an interesting article at http://www.resourceshelf.com/2010/07/01/fast-facts-about-ita-software-system-can-handle-more-than-one-million-queries-per-second/
I visited one of the urls listed in the article, http://matrix2.itasoftware.com/, searched for a flight from SJC to LAX and got a lowest price of $139. Southwest wasn't on the list
so I went to www.southwest.com and found a roundtrip for $88.
"Google has no plans to sell airline tickets to consumers", they say. However, Google Corporate Travel could be a big moneymaker. Companies will pay for outsourcing services to handle and account for their employee travel.
Too bad they don't offer international flights. Heck, I wish we would let international carriers offer domestic flights. Lufthansa is no wonder carrier but the service made any US carrier look like Hobo-Air.
What's the big deal? I'm the last person to stand in support of a large corporation, but as long as they don't play anti-competition, why is it such a terrible thing that I can Google my flight? I mean, with the horrible experiences people are having with Priceline, and the fact that Google is likely going to do a much better job, they could use some competition. The only real problem I have with Google (so far) is their blatant disregard for privacy and nearly perpetual data retention.
You can use the ITA engine at http://matrix.itasoftware.com/cvg/dispatch and it is really quite good compared to most airline/agency websites. However, it won't actually sell you a ticket.
Free peanuts and a soda? Meh. How about an assigned seat?
I personally _love_ to stand 40 minutes to an hour prior to my flights just so I can get a decent seat. I mean what else would I be doing, trolling slashdot? Sheesh.
Cattle call!
Definitely. I feel reasonably safe in assuming they'll publish a Flights API along with that. Some nice apps could be built on that in conjunction with voice-search.
Reply to That ||
All planes start boarding 30 minutes before takeoff. Everyone does it. All require lining up too. And with Southwest you have assigned numbers so you know how to line-up. What's the big deal? The only reason I end up standing 40 minutes prior toa flight is because all the chairs are taken up by one person who has their bag sitting on the chair next to them....
and yet... southwest is an ITA customer, for the functionality on their own site (and possibly other authorized sales channels) though they still don't allow their fares to be used for cross-shopping search.
(former ITA employee who is currently wondering what his shares would be worth right now)
I'm done with sigs. Sigs are lame.
I'm glad. Airline websites have had forever to get this right and yet, for me, one of the most frustrating things to do on the internet is find a flight in any sensible fashion.
I am just waiting for Google Airlines and Googlebucks, free wifi everywhere! The next step after Google Broadband has taken over the whole world...
You're referring to a system they stopped using a few years ago. Now, they give you a number based on when you check in online (you can also get a low number by flying alot, or paying extra), and you board in that order. You can remain seated right until they board the block of numbers that includes yours. You don't really *need* to be at your computer exactly 24 hours before your flight to check in either; I don't think I've ever failed to get either an aisle or window seat so long as I checked in online before going to the airport.
so what? who cares.
I'm sporting a sassy Google Sportcoat, stylish, ruffled sleeve button down Google shirt, and smart pair of Google slacks, purchased, I might add, on Google. I saw the ad for it on my iPhone. Or at least I did. Now I get some shit about crap I don't want. None of it don't say Google on it. Damn phone is headin for a class action. Shit. Soon I'll by flying Google Air, and at substantial discount, by purchasing tickets via Google - I know because I price checked it there. They've even got Google Snacks for all passengers. Shit's the Google.
--- What?
Didn't Google pay something like twice as much as Apple was willing to pay for the ad company Apple wanted to buy? Now another $700 million for this company? I know it's not true, but sometimes it feels like Google has more money than the government. It's pretty amazing how much they throw around.
How the hell does one "check in" without being.. well.. in.
This is my sig. There are many like it but this one is mine.
Just set up a seperate corporation and operate it in a clandestine manner...
Nothing to see here folks, just 'ethical' modern business practices
Wherever You Go, There You Are
ITA's core technology is written in Lisp. It's nice to see more real-world success stories like this, and that using a less popular language for the core IP doesn't prevent sale of a software company.
Granted, they are probably abusing the term. But I really like it, since I sometimes have to book fairly soon before a trip, yet I still get a shot at a decent seat so long as I book at least 24 hours in advance. (On the other hand, they'll never give you a free 1st class upgrade like other airlines - since they don't have any such thing!)
still give you a free bag of peanuts and a free soda.
Except last time I flew them peanuts were banned from being passed out on the flight because someone had an allergy. They also scolded people who opened peanuts from previous flights or had brought their own...
You're confirming within 24 hours that you will be there, to the best of your ability, and aren't flaking on the flight.
But seriously, since Southwest doesn't clean up between flights (only once in the morning), we can no longer take Southwest anymore. Even if they ban peanuts on our flight, there is too much old peanuts on the seats, floor, and air. Last time my daughter started getting a bad reaction and we had to douse her with medicine to keep it from getting life-threatening.
People don't realize that just a little bit of peanuts around can cause those with allegeries to stop breathing.
we have guys flying all the time - and most of them will only fly southwest.. one of the guys would rather, and does, drive 8 hours to a client rather than fly american (the only option for that client's city)
'...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
>It will control the leading software for powering online airline reservations
Anybody ever heard of Galileo? Amadeus anyone?
Is this ITA something that is only used in the US? BTW, whatever happened to SABRE?
"Cock Up Your Beaver" does not mean what you think. This sig is intended to clog filters and annoy do-gooders
It seems that Google's goal is to be a monopoly in every section of the internet.
So, this is interesting. Good vs. Evil aside, those who like less U.S. Govn't should be like "Screw you FTC! It's a free market and it regulates itself! Google is making it's own earnings and not mooching off of welfare! They should also have to pay less taxes because they generate jobs and revenue for many of previously mentioned moochers. If anything, they deserve a tax break. I mean, I don't make 1/googleth of the money they do, but those are *my* beliefs!" Right?
Then on the other side we have "So, now google will know who we are, what we buy, say, who we talk to (gmail), communicate incognito or otherwise (gvoice), are interested in (google), look to go and where we're at; and where I park my bike in front of my house (gmaps), what we use to do said things (OS version, chrome and phone sets), how our networks are set up (gwifi-spy) and now they want to know ("help") us get to where we want to go?"
Yeah, it might be a little to late to unfriend google at this point. This sort of reminds me of that store in Wall-E, the big mart or something where it's an ALL IN ONE sort of deal.
I guess we'll find out what our true feelings are when it's too late because "they've crossed the line."
On the other hand, the service(s) they provide is still outstanding. What do you guys think?
Oh, and don't forget about dazzal or razzle . Oh yeah it's called Google buzz...
As far as my beliefs go... It's all about the Ying/Yang baby! Oh yeah and don't forget about Socrates...
My abilities are only limited by my imagination
"Google said it plans to use ITA's technology in its Web search tools and to allow potential passengers to shop for tickets right from Google. "
Bullshit! They say the exact opposite:
http://www.google.com/press/ita/faq.html
"It's also important to note that our goal will be to refer people quickly to a site where they can actually purchase flights, and that we have no plans to sell flights ourselves. "
They are a search company, they have noticed a lot of people are searching for flights - so they are prepared to give you even better results when you are searching for flight, but they are of course, not going to sell the damn tickets themselves.
If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
- what exactly is the problem with a 6,400 pound gorilla, wolfing down every green bud of independent online commerce that lays in it's path? After all, it has asolutely promised not to be evil, leastways, not until it's swallowed everything in sight, then ran out of food.
Maybe we'll have luck, and it will fall in love with Faye Dunaway - meantime, as a (rather good) British rock band once said, "meet the new Boss, same as the old Boss.." - unfortunately, most of /. (who at least, should know better..) seem only too eager to get fooled again.
Bing's "Travel" section is pretty good for finding flights. It's quick, clean, and the results are trustworthy in my experience. They've even got a "price predictor" feature that can save you a couple bucks if you're prepared to check prices every day and pounce when a good deal comes along. In fact - the only time that I'll use Bing over Google is when I'm buying plane tickets.
I know it's not a fashionable thing to say in these parts - but I love Google products. I was happy to hear about this acquisition, and look forward to seeing what Google is able to accomplish in this area of search.
Google made the transit info in my city usable. The previous system written by the local transit authority was a usability and performance nightmare.
Shopping for flights and hotels online is currently a godawful mess of bad user experience,
including ridiculously useless middlemen (highwaymen) hijacking your searches.
I once went through a 6, 7 or 8 page form sequence to search for and order an airline ticket (departing from my home city) before it told me obliquely that "you can't do that from your country".
Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
You're confirming within 24 hours that you will be there, to the best of your ability, and aren't flaking on the flight.
Don't they already have your money?