Alerting travelers of low fares isn't a new concept, but Google could gain the upper hand by tying alerts into other Google services. Imagine getting a message in Google Chat or on an Android phone in addition to the e-mail alerts that . And unlike or , I'd expect Google to handle alerts directly in the web browser instead of making users install software.

Fare Prediction

I'm not sure if there's a way to improve the airfare predictions that , but it's an essential tool for travelers who like to fret over getting the best deals. Google's algorithm experts need to come up with something similar, or Bing will still be the travel search engine to beat.

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