GOOGLE LAUNCHES FLIGHT SCHEDULE SEARCH

The new flight schedule search feature Google launched last week. By simply typing "flights from / to" a destination in the search bar, it displays specific flight routes or all routes from a particular airport, all of the airlines serving the locales along with flight numbers, and travel dates / times.

The ITA travel search software which the DOJ finally allowed Google to purchase last month isn't powering the feature, although Google stated on its blog that the flight schedule search is a "small step" in an overall effort to make finding flight information simpler.

GOOGLE'S ACQUISITION OF ITA APPROVED BY US DOJ WITH MINIMAL STIPULATIONS

Today, the US Department of Justice approved Google's request to move forward with the buy, but rather than having the entire travel search market under its wing, Google's going to have to make a smattering of concessions in order to get the right signatures. For starters, the search monolith will allow ITA's existing client contracts to extend into 2016, and it'll let both current and new customers license ITA's QPX software on "fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms."

GOGO INFLIGHT INTERNET TO EXPAND INTO MOVIES AND POSSIBLY GAMING

There's not a lot of firm details just yet, but the CEO of Gogo's parent company, Aircell, has just confirmed that GoGo is planning to take a few steps beyond it's basic in-flight WiFi business this year. That will apparently start with a library of in-flight movies that customers will have access to "later this year," and could eventually expand to other in-flight content including "live gaming." No word on any content partners involved in any of those plans, but CEO Michael Small says that he believes content has the potential to be a" significant" revenue source for the company. Incidentally, this news coincided with GoGo's announcement of a $35 million boost from its latest round of funding and, as mocoNews reports, the company has apparently already hired "a number of executives from internet companies" to help it with its new content offerings.