3 ms·
Not to defend Expedia, but if Google puts their own travel results on the front page, improving Expedia's website wouldn't help them. It could be made of gold-p
by lmkg 16y ago
Not to defend Expedia, but if Google puts their own travel results on the front page, improving Expedia's website wouldn't help them. It could be made of gold-plated strippers, but no one would ever find out because they'd just use Google's flight search, even if Google's flight search sucked. Not that Google would make a crappy flight search (especially with ITA), but the point is that even if other companies did innovate and did make a better flight search that is theoretically better for the consumer, that still wouldn't be able to beat Google putting their own thingy on the front SERP. Don't get me wrong, Google's move is probably better for the consumer and Expedia does suck and deserves to get crushed on its own merit (or lack thereof), but despite that, "just do a better job" is not a viable option, and Expedia's complaints that Google has an anticompetitive advantage are legitimate.
- tesseract 16y agoIs ITA the only plausible source of flight data? If not, then what's the big deal? And if so, then it seems like they have a monopoly advantage regardless of whether they are bought by Google or not.
- moultano 16y agoBing is already doing this. If you want to complain, complain about vertical integration in search engines in general not Google trying to keep feature parity with competitors. You can't prevent someone from building a better product just because their product is popular.
- takadamu 16y agoThe rules are different when you have the vast majority of traffic. And you can prevent someone from trying to build a better product just because their product is popular - ask Microsoft about its experience with the EU.
- moultano 16y agoGoogle doesn't "have" the vast majority of traffic. The vast majority of people go there voluntarily when competitors are a click away. There's a big difference. All Google has is their brand and the quality of their product, and how long do you think their brand will last if Microsoft starts offering a better product? What are we going to say to Google if Google is legally prevented from innovating, Bing isn't, and Bing wins?
- apr 16y agoI disagree. Expedia has long had an option to innovate and really improve their offering, instead they chose to rest on their laurels and milk the customers. I see it as a good thing that Google moves into the space and will give it some serious shake-up. On the aside I just can't wait till the Ticketmaster's monopoly is disrupted.
- emmett 16y agoYou mean just like Fandango went out of business when Google started offering movie times? Or how wikipedia died after Knol? Or how there aren't any more weather sites now that Google offers weather?
- exit 16y agoi don't feel forced to use google, so it doesn't inspire the contempt i had for microsoft when it was facing accusations of anticompetitive practices