Kudos to Google for bringing some diversity into the leadership of Google Travel. Left unanswered is whether the leadership changes portend any strategic shifts.
The major thing new in online travel companies holding onto customer cash and investing it is that interest rates are a lot higher, and they are taking advantage. The rich get richer.
Why doesn't Google promote Google Travel as a one-stop shop? The layoffs at Google Flights show there's too much ad revenue in play on the Google.com side of the flights business to merit such an all-in approach.
A couple of years ago the issue of whether Google/ITA would renew its contract with Kayak was considered an all-important issue of survival for Kayak and an antitrust issue for Google. Today the issue seems more of a yawn as Google Flight Search hasn't dominated anything.
Google's China Southern Airlines agreement is a big win for Google's airline business in Asia, and will help the airline deal with the international proclivities of the new generation of Chinese outbound travelers.
This is a bitter pill for the geeks at Google's ITA Software. They wanted to transform the back-end of the airline industry with a new kind of airline reservations system. Huge ambitions, but the project never got marketplace traction. Now, the focus will be on powering airline websites, Google Flight Search and Google Hotel Finder.
Getting the technology right is just part of the challenge for Google Flight Search. Working on those airline partnerships around the world takes time.
Now that Google owns ITA, Amadeus fills a need for Kayak, Hipmunk and Expedia, but we're skeptical that the quality of Amadeus Meta Pricer is up to the task.