Does the Kayak Have Some Holes?
March 12, 2011
At lunch last week, the ArnoldIT.com goslings talked about travel search. We discussed the system glitches that can plague sites such as Vayama and the interminable page rendering from Orbitz and Travelocity. We also revisited the implications of the Microsoft deal with Kayak.
We talked about the information in “Bing and Kayak: Questions (and Some Answers) on Microsoft’s Latest Search Partnership.” We remembered that there were rumors that Microsoft allegedly wanted to buy the Kayak travel search service. That rumored deal did not work out. We had heard that Kayak was annoyed and thought that a pundit at a conference hinted that Bing Travel emulated some Kayak goodness. We did not notice anything ourselves, but we flap our wings to travel. We don’t fly on executive mailing tubes.
But it sure looks as if Microsoft and Kayak have formed a partnership. The ZDNet write up said:
“Both Kayak and Bing offer completely different user interfaces and different user experiences. Kayak is on the forefront of travel search – and not just flight search. Kayak creates smart technology that allows travelers to find and book travel from hundreds of travel sites at once for flights, hotels, car and cruise travel. Additionally, Kayak offers advanced travel planning, booking and management features, which offer users a comprehensive, accurate and flexible solution to travel.”
Travel seems to be in a state of flux. Google wants ITA. The airlines want to eliminate anyone or any thing that reduces their revenue. Exciting. Too bad travel itself is a less than positive experience.
Whitney Grace, March 12, 2011
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