As we report today, there are three travel brands up for prizes in this year's National Business Awards, namely Travel Counsellors, Holiday Extras and Cheapflights.

The folks at NBA were good enough to create a podcast for our sister brand Travel Weekly - so if you want to hear judges' thoughts on why those brands made the shortlist, hit the audio player below...

Search consultancy Greenlight has just distributed a comment on Google's purchase of ITA Software. Here's an edited down version:

In its early years the internet was heralded as the great disintermediator, allowing manufacturers and suppliers to have direct interaction with their customer bases.

This was Phase One. It was rapid. There was a dramatic increase in market transparency that allowed people to see prices and products from multiple suppliers, allowing them to compare prices and buy direct.

As the internet grew, that market transparency began to diminish. With thousands of sites selling a product/service, how could someone determine whether they were getting the best price?
 
This ushered in Phase Two. New companies such as Travelsupermarket and Kayak re-established market transparency with innovative technologies, aggregating data and essentially reintermediating the supply chain.

But if the likes of Travelsupermarket have good technologies, the likes of Google have incredible ones, allowing them to usher in what appears to be Phase Three. Its reach and resources make Google the ultimate informational intermediary, essentially reintermediating an already reintermediated supply chain.
 
All Phase 2 intermediaries should now be rethinking their business models in light of this move, and at the very least determining how they should operate in the next few years.

So the rumours were true then - Google has confirmed this morning that it has paid $700m cash for ITA Software.

The speculation in the run-up to the deal was rife, and is likely to continue for some time to come, not least until the deal gets through the regulators.

Google has been quite transparent in terms of its official communications about the deal, giving the market something concrete upon which to base their panic/delight/disinterest. Delete where appropriate.

As ever, the press release doesn't give much away, but a microsite within Google's online press office is more forthcoming.

Based on what we know so far, the following quotations,  taken directly from the microsite, are probably the most relevant.

"Google does not plan to sell airline tickets directly"

"By acquiring ITA Software, Google plans to offer new flight search tools that makes it easier for users to comparison shop for flight options, availability and airfares"

"We are very excited about ITA Software's QPX business"

"ITA Software's European revenues aren't large enough to warrant European regulatory review."

The deal makes a lot of sense in a number of ways, but then are also technological, cultural and commercial implications which have many experts scratching their heads. One thing is for certain and that is uncertainty.

I've just put through Linda's story about new PhoCusWright research into how consumers prefer to share their holiday experiences.

It looks a lot like a win for The Traditional, with face-to-face taking 38%. But there are a couple of questions I think are worth pondering:

1. Can the logic of market share tell us much here?

'Prefer' has clear implications if you're talking about something close to a win-lose scenario (e.g. Coke vs Pepsi).

But what does it mean to say you 'prefer' to sit down and talk about a holiday than, say, pop some photos on flickr? I prefer it too, but I still do both.

There are broad implications to be drawn about the volume of people who engage in each activity, but they're obvious - face-to-face is so firmly baked into everyday life as to be virtually unavoidable.

2. Are the categories themselves airtight?

What if - as I did last week - I post photos on Facebook, then talk my parents through the gallery next time I visit them? Face-to-face or social networking?

We're putting the finishing touches to the spring edition of Travolution, out later this week.

Look out for:

 > A look at how the three GDSs match up 
 > Mobile's rise to prominence 
 > 10 technologies to watch this year

We're also running a gadget competition with Traveltek. Guess which useless, gimmicky gadget we've got to give away and you could win a not-so-useless Apple iPad.

This edition reflects Travolution's recent media partnership with the Travel Technology Europe show, which inspired much of the content.

Lee Hayhurst, Travolution editor

New Media Age reports that Google has extended its AdWords Comparison Ads trial into the UK credit card market.

Says NMA:

"Google wouldn't confirm whether it would extend the format to other vertical sectors, such as mortgages."

Yes... mortgages. That's what we're all thinking, right?

(PS: You can hear Google UK head Matt Brittin speaking at the Travolution Summit on April 20.)

The first proper session at this year's Travolution Summit features a familiar face from last year - namely HSBC chief economist Dennis Turner, who went down brilliantly in 2009.

Here's a 2008 clip of him on surviving the recession. If you can be compelling in a three-minute, to-camera solo web video, you're a good speaker. Period.

Take a look at the full agenda over on the Travolution Summit minisite.

Travo got in touch with Nucleus managing director Peter Matthews - of the 'site seeing' reviews in our magazine - for an expert take on Cheapflights' flight metasearch site...

The verdict:

"Clearly influenced by Google online aesthetics and usability, Zugu beta provides a pretty good user experience, albeit a search layer above travel providers, so you are at Opodo or BA or others mercy once you select an option.

Search and results speeds are good and everything loads double fast, but will it do so under load?

Sorting options are also very good and the site makes good use of Web 2.0 interface design while keeping everything well organised and uncluttered.

Main gripe is that once I viewed details of a chosen flight the 'select' or 'book now' button wasn't where I expected it to be.

While I quite liked the name, I found the brand mark typographically mean and spiky. I'd be more generous, warm and cuddly.

The lime livery is what one American client once termed 'monkey-vomit green', but I like it."

Shortly after the tie-up between eBay and Octopus Travel was announced, we had eBay director of partnerships Phillip Rinn write a column for Travel Weekly.

Here's a snippet:

"In the past year, eBay has seen its holiday and travel category grow significantly in response to consumer demand for new ways to book a holiday. As a consequence, the travel industry needs to change the way it works.

Many retailers have opened up to the world of online but not explored its full potential. eBay has proved that retailers can have great success and benefit from incremental sales to their existing channels.

Travel retailers must now look at harnessing the web beyond their existing offering to reach new online shoppers."

 

A general call to arms? Or does it translate as "swallow your fears and work with us"?