Travel News
Fairsearch.org Adds New Members In Opposition To Google’s Acquisition Of ITA Software
FairSearch.org, a coalition of travel sites created to block Google’s multi-million-dollar acquisition of ITA Software, gained a powerful new ally on Monday.
Tech giant Microsoft has announced that it is joining the growing coalition of Internet travel providers that includes Expedia.com, Hotwire, TripAdvisor, Farelogix, Kayak, and Sabre Holdings.
Microsoft’s Bing Travel search site is powered by ITA’s flight-information software, making it vulnerable to Google’s purchase. Microsoft had previously provided information to the Justice Department, lawmakers and investigators about the potential impact of Google’s acquisition.
The tech giant was not the only company to join FairSearch.org on Monday. UK-based comparison shopping site Foundem, Paris-based online travel agency Level…com, and Singapore-based ZUJI also joined the coalition.
Google leadership says the revelation of FairSearch.org’s newest members did not surprise the company. Microsoft is one of Google’s largest competitors and regularly lobbies against Google acquisitions, Google said.
Previously on PeterGreenberg.com:
The company has also had an ongoing dispute with Foundem about the Web site’s page ranking on its search engine, and ZUJI is owned by Sabre Holdings, one of the founders of the coalition (and owners of Travelocity).
Google said it was disappointed, though not surprised, to see dissenters rally against the purchase. The company claims it is breaking the status quo, and will provide consumers with better flight search tools, thus giving consumers more choices.
However, FairSearch.org members see a different scenario playing out. According to FairSearch.org, ITA powers 65 percent of all of all online flight searches on U.S. airline sites.
Google could disadvantage rivals by cutting off their access to ITA’s software. Or Google could use its control of ITA data to steer Web searches toward its own services and away from competitors’ search engines.
If Google were to steer searches in its own interests, the results would be detrimental to search rivals such as Kayak.com, CheapFlights.com and Bing Travel.
By Adriana Padilla for PeterGreenberg.com.
Related Links: WebProNews.com, ZDNet, Fairsearch.org
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- Justice Department Scrutinizes Google’s ITA Software Acquisition
- Travel Companies Expand Opposition To Google’s Takeover of ITA Software
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