Chuck Kuhn's Asia in Photos: Google weighs into airfare market-

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Google weighs into airfare market-

Google weighs into airfare market

News out of the United States that Google has entered the online travel market, buying ITA Software, a flight information software company, for $US700 million.

The move to acquire Massachusetts-based ITA will see Google muscle into a market controlled by Expedia, Kayak, Orbitz, Microsoft's Bing Travel and other sites.

The web search giant said its acquisition of ITA "will create a new, easier way for users to find better flight information online".

"The acquisition will benefit passengers, airlines and online travel agencies by making it easier for users to comparison shop for flights and air fares," Google said in a statement.

"Airline travel and search are a terrific opportunity for more innovation, more investment and more interesting products,"
Google chief executive Eric Schmidt said in a conference call.

"There's clearly more room for competition and innovation here."

Google stressed that it "won't be setting air fare prices and has no plans to sell airline tickets to consumers”.

"Our goal is to build a tool that drives more traffic to airline and online travel agency sites where customers can purchase tickets," the company said.

ITA specialises in organising airline data, including flight times, availability and prices.

Bing, Kayak, Orbitz and TripAdvisor are among ITA's present customers and Google said it looked forward to working with them and will "honor all existing agreements".

Google vice president Marissa Mayer said nearly half of all airline tickets are now sold online and Google said requests for travel-related information are among the highest-volume queries received at the search engine.

"But for many people, finding the right flight at the best price is a frustrating experience," Mayer said.

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They say "

“I can’t say what made me fall in love with Vietnam - that a woman’s voice can drug you; that everything is so intense. The colors, the taste, even the rain. Nothing like the filthy rain in London. They say whatever you’re looking for, you will find here. They say you come to Vietnam and you understand a lot in a few minutes, but the rest has got to be lived. The smell: that’s the first thing that hits you, promising everything in exchange for your soul. And the heat. Your shirt is straightaway a rag. You can hardly remember your name, or what you came to escape from. But at night, there’s a breeze. The river is beautiful. You could be forgiven for thinking there was no war; that the gunshots were fireworks; that only pleasure matters. A pipe of opium, or the touch of a girl who might tell you she loves you. And then, something happens, as you knew it would. And nothing can ever be the same again.”
― Graham Greene, The Quiet American

Tips on Travel to Vietnam

It's always warm in Southeast Asia apart from high mountains, so leave the heavy clothing at home. Cotton and breathable fabrics are always better than synthetics -- although cotton does wrinkle a lot when traveling! December through April is roughly the dry season in that region, although it can still rain a little. December is a good time to go in terms of temperature -- cooler than in the humid summertime. Either way, wearing more clothing (shirt sleeves and long pants) is always more respectful towards the Asian culture, especially when visiting temples and rural areas.