back to article Google remembers it has an air-fares API, takes the usual action

Where have we heard this before? – in 2010, Google acquired ITA Software for US$700 million to get at its QPX airline booking software; in 2011, it reached an agreement with US regulators to complete the purchase; and 2018, it'll kill it. The Chocolate Factory has announced end-of-service for the QPX Express API will come on …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    which idiot....

    Goes to Google and types, "Get me cheap fares to russia in may?" anyway?

    One opens the ITA Matrix tool and spends half an hour remembering all the commands... Oh, wait a minute....

    1. Voland's right hand Silver badge

      Re: which idiot....

      Not even that.

      It now shows prices (for all means of transport) if you do search in maps. Any other method is long forgotten. So it is not even "Get me cheap fares to russia in may?(*)". You are getting that info fed to you (killing any remaining travel aggregators in the process) do you like it or not at the point where you are doing travel planning.

      I wish they did it earlier though - It would have been useful for my Xmas planning - I would have optimized the trip to one stop less and used public transport. Taking the train to go and take a stroll around Vienna surely beats the usual nightmarish experience of looking for a parking spot during the pre-Xmas rush.

      (*)Manafort? Why are you awake at this time and looking at flight prices...

    2. katrinab Silver badge

      Re: which idiot....

      I go to Expedia, ignore all the $RANDOM PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT THIS FLIGHT RIGHT NOW pop-ups, then check to see if I can get it cheaper direct from the airline.

  2. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

    Who knew eh?

    That this feature existed?

    Come on everybody, hands up if you did?

    Wot! No one?

    That seems to be par for the course with Google and Microsoft for that matter.

    Develop/buy something and release it to the world

    Forget about it and stop advertising it and then ...????....???....

    Close it down because no one was using it.

    And with MS's case, totally screw up something that was actually useful.

    1. Joe Harrison

      Re: Who knew eh?

      I didn't know. But is this the same as www.google.com/flights ?

    2. sabroni Silver badge

      Re: And with MS's case, totally screw up something that was actually useful.

      Yeah, Google's keep it working properly and kill it anyway is much better......

  3. Version 1.0 Silver badge

    I like this kind of behaviour ...

    Could we persuade Google to buy the Republican party?

    “How cool would it be if you could type "get my fat white ass elected" into Google and get not just a set of links but also sponsors, Putin's email address and a link to sites where you can actually create fake news quickly and easily?”

    And then 5 years later ... OK, guys ... let's take a walk behind the woodshed...

    1. ahjgta

      Re: I like this kind of behaviour ...

      Some happiness there.

      Officially, the public can buy it / scupper it at election time but thinking seems to get checked in before entering the voting booth.

    2. Captain DaFt

      Re: I like this kind of behaviour ...

      Could we persuade Google to buy the Republican party?

      They tried, got blocked. It was ruled that owning both major parties would constitute an illegal monopoly. ☺

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: I like this kind of behaviour ...

        I was thinking of starting or taking over a minor party just to see if I could position it to use a purchase by google as an exit strategy.

    3. Kevin McMurtrie Silver badge

      Re: I like this kind of behaviour ...

      Google would buy the whole US government, replace taxes with listening devices, declare the project a huge success, then promptly turn the country off.

      1. Oengus

        Re: I like this kind of behaviour ...

        Google would buy the whole US government I think you have the wrong tense here. I thought Google had already bought the US government and already have them doing their biddings...

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