In recent months, Google has introduced various changes to its search result formats in response to the differing demands of price-comparison websites, hotels, airlines, and small retailers, with the latest adjustments revealed last month.
These changes are part of Google's efforts to align with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which prohibits the company from prioritizing its own products and services on its platform, with potential fines reaching up to 10% of its global annual revenue.
In a letter to the European Commission dated December 20, which was reviewed by Reuters, Airlines for Europe stated that the airline sector is prepared to make compromises in the interest of achieving a timely, DMA-compliant solution.
The airline group endorsed the idea of a horizontal layout featuring equally sized boxes for airlines and comparison sites in search results, as well as the use of blue to differentiate these elements from others.
However, they emphasized that the prices shown in search results should match those displayed in the boxes. Additionally, they raised concerns about Google's suggestion to use purely indicative dates instead of specific dates for consumers seeking to book flights.
The group noted, "Details such as dates are essential to the overall search experience for consumers looking for air travel, and transitioning to a purely indicative date will significantly diminish their experience."
Google has indicated that it may revert to its previous format of ten blue links in search results if its competitors, including airlines and price comparison sites, are unable to reach an agreement on its proposals to comply with the DMA and refrain from promoting its own offerings.