Google Flights is an online flight booking search service that facilitates the purchase of airline tickets through third-party suppliers. It was launched by Google in 2011 following a buyout. It is now part of Google Travel.[1]
History
In April 2011, the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division approved Google's $700 million purchase of ITA Software.[2] On September 13, 2011, Google launched Google Flights, which used algorithms gained from this purchase.[3]
Features
An innovation of Google Flights is that it allows open-ended searches based on criteria other than the destination; for example, a user may search for flights within a range of times and a budget and be offered various destination choices.[4]