Google teams with Ryanair to boost Euro flight-comparisons

by Mark Tyson on 13 January 2014, 12:30

Tags: Ryanair, Google (NASDAQ:GOOG)

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Google Flight Search may be revived and revitalised as the company is reportedly working with budget airline Ryanair to completely transform how consumers search for, select and buy airline tickets according to the Irish Independent.

Google Flight Search has been around since the company acquired ITA in 2011 and launched in Europe March 2013. But with the service missing low-cost airlines such as Ryanair, EasyJet and FlyBe it has failed to make much progress.

"There are some very exciting developments with Google, where we have been working with them on sharing the pricing,"said Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary. The service will “blow comparison sites like Skyscanner out of the water" once the project goes live by the end of March, asserted O'Leary.

Competing with many of the organisations it serves, Google’s new service may cause some consternation from sites that provide similar online travel and flight-comparisons - which rely on Google AdWords to drive traffic.

"Because Google, being Google, want to show all of the prices from all of the airlines on display. They don't want to charge us, they make all of their money out of advertising," explained O'Leary. We can safely assume that Google will start to stake out partnerships with other major airline providers, ferries and rail services in Europe in further steps to create a truly successful all round transportation comparison service.

Back in November we reported Bing’s integration with TripAdvisor, but Microsoft doesn't seem to have caused much of a ripple, it isn't experiencing its own 'TripAdvisor effect' as yet.



HEXUS Forums :: 27 Comments

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Will it let me exclude Ryanair? That's pretty much my only criteria these days.
I have some advice for finding a cheap ticket on Ryanair: Use Kayak.co.uk to find tickets on an airline that isn't Ryanair. Buy those, and fly on that airline instead.
Surprised that Google would even think about mixing with a brand like Ryanair
Although I prefer easyJet, there's really nothing wrong with Ryanair.

Most of the people who have serious beef with Ryanair have, in all probability, done something idiotic in the past and ended up on the receiving end of a penalty charge. It's really not difficult to print off a boarding pass and turn up on the correct day with a bag that's within the correct hand luggage dimensions and weight. If you're incapable of doing that, then you deserve everything you get, in my frank opinion.

I've flown Ryanair on many occasions and no, it's not exactly glamorous, but I can get quickly from Manchester to Pisa and back again for less than the cost of a train ticket to Newcastle, in a comfortable leather seat.
Like AlexKitch I don't really have a problem with Ryanair as long as you follow their rules.

1) Double check the airport they are dropping you in… eg. The ‘Barcelona’ airport is like 200km from the city.
2) Take hand luggage, confirm it fits within their size
3) Print boarding pass before going to airport
4) Eat & Pee before boarding

If you manage all those and you got a £20 return ticket to somewhere in Europe then win!