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Google Flights launches in Europe 18 months late and incomplete

Google Flights launches in Europe 18 months late and incomplete

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After expanding to show some international flights almost exactly a year ago, Google has finally brought its Flight Search service to the UK, France, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands. Launched 18 months ago in the US, Flight Search is Google's attempt to take on Kayak, Expedia, and the countless other flight-comparison sites. For its European launch, however, Google is offering far from a complete experience. In a blog post announcing the service, Google's Noam Ben Haim explains that Flight Search is "not able to show results for every single airline," and pricing information is missing from some European airlines including Lufthansa, Ryanair and Easyjet.

These omissions are a big issue for Flight Search: budget airlines like Easyjet and Ryanair are more often than not the cheapest way to fly between European destinations. Google says it's working to expand its relationship with European carriers, but until it succeeds, Flight Search is unlikely to take off.