Google announced today that Japan’s largest airline, All Nippon Airways (ANA), has signed a new multi-year agreement to use its ITA Software pricing and shopping engine.
The deal is actually a renewal, as the airline was one of ITA Software’s first QPX customers in Asia.
“ANA launched QPX in 2008, utilizing our advanced airfare shopping tools to provide international airfare search on www.ana.co.jp,” says technical account manager Lewis Chang, Sr. “ANA has since expanded their international search capabilities to incorporate calendar, flexible date shopping and multi-city. Most recently, ANA added slice-by-slice search capabilities which allows travelers to customize their itinerary by selecting departure and return options separately.”
“Headquartered in the Shiodome area in Minato, Tokyo, ANA operates service to 49 destinations in Japan and 31 international routes,” adds Chang. “They’ve been a great partner and we’re excited to continue supporting their growth and expansion into other international markets over the next several years.”
ITA Software powers Google’s Flight Search feature, which was recently expanded both in terms of geography and devices, having launched internationally and on tablets this year.
Google’s acquisition of ITA Software, as you may know, was the event that led to the formation of the FairSearch coalition, a lobbying group comprised of Google competitors, which sought to see the deal blocked, claiming it was anti-competitive. The deal got by regulators, but the group is still at it, as regulators continue to investigate the company for broader issues. The group has picked up some members outside of the travel industry since the early days.