Google launches Flight Search tool for India

Has roped in Goibibo as partner for flight search.

Indian online travel agents like Cleartrip.com, Makemytrip and others need to get their act together, Search giant Google on Tuesday introduced Flight Search tool for Indian internet users. Flight Search will allow users to search for flights within Google, as well as compare and book flights on mobile devices. Users planning a holiday can make use of this tool to immediately see the price and duration of flights based on users’ preferences and previous searches. A user has to just enter the departure and destination cities and he/she will get all flight details.

So far, these travel portals would get queries from searches conducted on Google. But now Google will make use of this data for Flight Search.

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.  Once you select your departure and return dates, you’ll be presented with a list of ‘Best Flights’, which represents the best trade-off between convenience and price. You can always view other flights by scrolling through the summary list or selecting, “Show longer or more expensive flights”.

Google has managed to get Jet Airways share its flight details. Gaurang Shetty, senior vice-president, commercial, Jet Airways, said, “Giving our guests access to our flights for bookings through Flight Search will offer another convenient channel to shop for and book flights via their preferred search engine. This is just one more way we’re collaborating with Google on new and innovative technologies.”

Google has also roped in Goibibo as partner for Flight Search. “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 travelers,” said Ashish Kashyap, founder and CEO of ibiboGroup.

“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!” said Kashyap.