Bing Offers Airport Map Services: Search Engines Compete Over New Niche
October 9, 2011
For those who travel in today’s lousy economic climate, no need to look beyond your friendly neighborhood search engine; Bing comes to your rescue. Microsoft’s search service Bing has announced the launch of airport maps for 42 major airports across the U.S. with plans for expansion and additions.
We learn more about the feature, which allows users to “see” inside airports to located terminals, baggage claim areas, restrooms and more, in Tech Crunch’s article, “Bing Launches Airport Maps For 42 US Cities.”
The addition comes shortly after Google’s release of its new Google Flight Search feature, made possible through its acquisition of flight data company ITA – a move that Microsoft and others had fought. Flight and travel-related search had been one of Bing’s advantages, thanks to earlier integrations from travel price finder Farecast, acquired back in 2008.
Google already offers a form of airport maps as well as Street View shots inside businesses, but isn’t this a map niche? I find the competition over airports between the two search engines rather odd and surprising. It seems the new norm is to attempt to tackle every possible online niche and abandon the seemingly simple “seek and find” method of search. Search is broken.
Andrea Hayden, October 09, 2011
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