Internet giant Google Inc. launched flight searches
in India, intensifying competition in the online travel bookings space.
In a statement in its official blog, Google said “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,”.
Google service redirects users to the concerned
airline’s booking page, which enables consumers to avoid the commission paid to
the travel agent. A flight search service such as Google usually earns revenue
through clicks and lead to airline or hotel booking sites along with contextual
display advertising.
The Indian online travel market will be worth some
$12.6 billion by 2016, travel consultancy firm PhocusWright estimates. “It will
be interesting to see how Google navigates its users across vendors’ mobile sites
and apps, something which even the largest metasearch players are trying to
solve,” said Chetan Kapoor, research analyst (Asia Pacific) at PhocusWright.
Despite Google’s strength in web searches, the
success of flights and hotel search products is dependent on not only
integration with key airlines and intermediaries in the country but, most
importantly, displaying dynamic fares and supporting multiple—perhaps even
complex—itineraries, which have propelled OTAs ahead of the curve when it comes
to online travel bookings, Kapoor said.
In a related development, Goibibo said it has become
the first Indian website 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 chief executive officer of ibibo Group, which owns
Goibibo.com and redBus.in, a bus ticketing service.
Cleartrip.com, Makemytrip.com, Yatra.com,
ezeego1.co.in and Goibibo.com are among the top online travel agencies in
India. Google’s new service also competes with ixigo.com, another popular
flight search service.
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