It's been almost four years since the United States filed its antitrust lawsuit against Google - and a decision on the case finally arrived: A U.S. district court judge ruled Monday that Google has built a monopoly on online search - something travel companies have long voiced frustration about.Justice Department antitrust official Jonathan Kanter called the ruling "a landmark decision" - one that holds Google accountable. Meanwhile, Google has said it will appeal the decision. “This decision recognizes that Google offers the best search engine but concludes that we shouldn’t be allowed to make it easily available,” said Kent Walker, president for global affairs for Google. Now that the ruling has come, how are travel industry leaders reacting? What kind of impact does the industry expect to see as a result? Will it see big changes?

A United States district judge ruled Monday that Google illegally used its market power to create a monopoly over online search, a decision with far-ranging ramifications including in travel, where the four biggest online travel agencies spent a combined $16.8 billion on sales and marketing last year — much of it going to Google.Travel companies have been complaining for years about Google’s digital search and advertising dominance. During the 10-week antitrust trial last year in Washington, D.C., a 2019 letter to Google from Expedia Group chairman Barry Diller surfaced in which he expressed his frustration with search results. “I must say I’m on the edge of revolt now that Google’s actions are so punitive, not just for Expedia but also for … all the players that depend upon something of a level playing field,” Diller wrote.His words proved prophetic. As U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta wrote in his 277-page ruling, “Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly.”The judge found that Google violated Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act, illegally securing its dominance in the search market by paying billions of dollars to smartphone carriers like Apple and Samsung to make Google the automatic search engine for their phones

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