AOL Tests Travel Search Engine
America Online Inc. on Monday launched a test version of a travel search engine that the company says will complement its current online travel service.
Source: Internet WeekPinPointTravel.com, which is powered by technology from Kayak.com, searches for airline flights and hotel rooms, but does not offer any booking services. Instead, when a consumer or business traveler is ready to buy a ticket or reserve a room, he is directed to the supplier.
"(PinPointTravel) is not going to replace AOL Travel," company spokesman Brian Hoyt said. "It's a complementary site."
AOL, a subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., is hoping the search engine, which is expected to launch in April, will attract AOL members who currently head to other sites to search, and ultimately buy, airline tickets, vacation packages, car rentals and other travel-related products, Hoyt said. While AOL has 22.6 million members, the Dulles, Va., portal's full-service travel site only attracts about 8 million unique visitors a month.
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