Traditional OTA's Are Doomed ... Doomed I Say
Google and ITA have ceased sniffing butts and have now cemented (consummated?) a relationship.
As announced in Google press here and referenced in the Google blog looks like Google and ITA Software have formally tied the knot to the tune of 700MM and probably some change.
I think if I were a traditional OTA I'd be scared sh*tless, because ITA is the provider of high end, high volume infrastructure for travel. A well baked strategy/offering from the Googleplex could really put the hurt on the 2nd tier providers. Hell, it almost certainly give folks at Bing Travel, who've been innovating like crazy, a run for their money.
You want to change the way travel is consumed on the face of the earth? Watch how this deal, and subsequent merge of technologies, shake out. I for one am excited as hell (heck).
Cool graphic ripped from Google presser:
