Microsoft’s Bing search engine will soon incorporate data from flight aggregator Kayak.com, meaning when users search for flight information they will receive pricing data directly within the results page.
Bing has managed to actually attract some users away from Google and grow its market share over the last couple years, thanks to Microsoft’s strong push to make the search engine more than just a list of links.
Instead, now, when users search for a song, they’re able to stream the song without ever leaving the search engine’s results page. If users are looking for a video, Bing incorporates embedded streaming so everything can be played back from the Bing window.
It even offers Flash video games directly from the results page, so if users search for Bejeweled or Tetris, they can play the game without the hassle of figuring out which third-party site to go to.
The inclusion of Kayak means when users do a search for “New York to LAX,” they’ll be presented with the cheapest flight information. It makes the process of going from “I want to find out more about this trip” to “I’ll book this trip” a more seamless experience.
“For Bing, this means we can focus our development resources on delivering even more unique and valuable features for customers. In essence, this lets us do more for our customers as we continue to invest in next-generation travel experiences,” said Microsoft’s Krista Pappas in a blog post.
Google is of course still the reigning leader in search, but it’s admirable how much Bing has managed to step up the competition.
