Google launched new flight search service this tuesday

The search giant Google has covered another major sector in the search world with its new launch this Tuesday - Flight Search. This new launch has put Google into direct competition with other popular travel sites like Orbitz and Kayak..

For the timing, this service is restricted to only round-trip economy-class flights between certain U.S. cities, but it will be expanded very soon covering various countries and all classes. So if you are a US citizen, you can try Google Flights by just searching for "flights from New York to Chicago". This will get you a "Flights" link on the left side of Google's search page. Google Flights can also be accessed directly on http://www.google.com/flights/.

It displays a shortlist of flights based on cost and total travel time, including various departure times and airlines. Filters are set for "reasonable" price and duration, but users can manipulate them to show more flights. Taking care of the existing competition in the market and leaving all rivals behind, Google has embedded an innovative feature called open-ended destination: Users can click the Flight Search map and use filters to see where they can go within certain time and cash boundaries. For example, a San Francisco flyer can check where he can visit within 3 hours for less than $300. Moreover, the selection of flights shown is not influenced by any paid relationships with the airlines.

Google's mission for the flight search started  a year back in July 2010 when Google intend to purchase ITA, the world's largest airline search software company. for $700 million. It was a controversial purchase as right after Google announced its intent to buy ITA, travel search players raised concerns about search behemoth Google having unfettered access to valuable flight data. Consequently, Kayak, with backing from Expedia.com, offered to buy ITA to prevent Google from purchasing it. Finally, in April this year, the Department of Justice said Google could buy ITA only if the search giant accepts certain restrictions to avoid a monopoly. But even with these conditions, Google's entry into the travel search space is a blow to rivals.