Google has finally launched its flight search tool in India, a move that has been feared by online travel aggregators for some time. The tool allows users to find and compare airfares online and book tickets directly on an airline portal or through a partner aggregator. The new feature from the search giant cuts out online travel aggregators, who provide flight information and take a cut on the tickets they sell. Google's presence in the space could reduce traffic to their portals. Gibbon, meanwhile, has partnered with Google to display results from its own portal along with options thrown in by Google search from airline websites, when a user keys in requirements such as destination and travel date. Experts say Google Flight Search will impact online travel agents' marketing expenses, a majority of which is spent on online marketing.
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Google launches its flight search tool in India
Boosting competition in the online travel booking space, Google has recently launched its flight search tool in India allowing users to find and compare airfares online and book tickets directly on an airline portal or through a partner aggregator. “Now, you can search directly for flights within Google or access google.co.in/flights to quickly find, compare and book flights from your mobile device, tablet or desktop,” said Google.
When users access the Flight Search, they immediately see the price and duration of flights to several popular destinations they might like to visit based on the preferences and previous searches. If users set a date and tap to expand the map, they will instantly see live prices for destinations around the world.
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| In Laptop and Tablet -Google Flight |
“When you click on the departure date field, you’ll see a calendar with the lowest fares for the route highlighted for each day. You can also use the lowest fares graph below the calendar to see how prices may fluctuate based on the season, holidays or other events. Scrolling through a couple of months quickly shows you when it’s a great time to fly,” Google explained.
Once the departure and return dates are selected, the user will be presented with a list of ‘Best flights’, which represents the best tradeoff between convenience and price. One can easily select the outbound and return flights and book flights by clicking on one of the blue partner book buttons.
“Whether you know where you want to go or you’re open to inspiration, we make it easy for you to explore travel options and figure out the best time to travel. When you’re ready, quickly find, compare and book the flight that works best for you. We hope you’ll enjoy planning your next domestic or international trip with Flight Search,” Google said.
Google’s ventured into flight search in 2010 when it acquired flight information software company ITA software for US$700 million. Flight Search was initially launched in the US followed by parts of Europe.
Partnership with Goibibo .comGoibibo, an online travel aggregator (OTA) has become the first Indian portal to partner with Google for its Flight Search feature.
“Goibibo.com is the first OTA in India to partner with Google for Flight Search. This is in line with our philosophy and core differentiation of delivering the fastest booking experience to our travellers,” said Ashish Kashyap, Founder and CEO of ibiboGroup.
On using Google Flight Search in India, travellers are offered the option to book the best flights available directly on the airline site or via Goibibo.com. The association, therefore, benefits the customers by allowing them to quickly find, compare and book flights from their mobile device, tablet or desktop.
Venkat Chandramoleshwar, Partnerships Manager, Travel, Google said, “Goibibo has grown in the past five years to become a leading online travel aggregator in India, and we are delighted they are joining the Google Flight Search family. Travellers can now easily find and compare the best flights on Flight Search and can book their flights on Goibibo, one of the blue partner book buttons featured on Google.”
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