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."

Comments

Why travel?

[ArsonSmith]

With google earth and street view I don't actually need to leave the basement any more.

One of ITA's Customers is Bing

[longacre]

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.

Re:Google Maps

[hemlock00]

Why stop there, I got a bunch of useful ones.

-By Car, but you get stuck in 40 minutes of *#^&)(@# traffic

-By Bike and you get 2 flats from the road liter

-By Air, considering you're going to leave the gate on time so they can classify it as on time but then sit on the tarmac for 4 hours while they feed you some bullshit excuse like your luggage is coming when in reality the engine is on fire and they want a 2-dollar fix so they can keep your money

These would be equally, if not more helpful than the options I currently get from google.

Re:Google Maps

[WarJolt]

I just hope they keep the option to "Swim Across the Atlantic Ocean". My commute isn't complete until I swim 3462 miles.

Re:Google Maps

[bberens]

Yes, I'd like to go from Orlando to Las Angeles... sort by cheapest: bike, 5283 hrs.