FairSearch, fierce opponent of Google's acquisition of ITA Software, was quick out of the blocks to pour a healthy dose of scepticism over the search giant's launch of Flight Search.
Within hours of the new service going live, FairSearch (the lobbying group created in October 2010 by Kayak, Microsoft, Sabre, Expedia and others) pondered how honest Google will be when selecting partners, as well as how results for air searches will be positioned.
The launch "raises lots of questions", FairSearch says.
"Can we expect Google will preference Google Travel over other popular travel search sites?" it asks, while also wondering if paid-for advertising results will be included alongside other data-driven results through ITA's QPX, but without identifying the difference. But perhaps the most curious question it raises is around the idea of coercion.
Referencing an article on Forbes, FairSearch asks if partners will be forced to working with Google Flight Search or find their natural search traffic is affected.
It's quite an accusation.
Predictably, FairSearch appears to be unhappy but not surprised that the initial version of Google Flight Search will exclude intermediaries such as OTAs and metasearch engines, the very companies that make up the FairSearch organisation.
This is the only reaction so far from FairSearch, although Kayak's initial reaction yesterday suggests the group will continue to lobby the US authorities to ensure "Google's behaviour as it continues to leverage its general search monopoly to enter more and more verticals".