Google Cuts EU Flight and Hotel Booking from Search to Avoid Fines
Google is treating DMA compliance as a deliberate product downgrade in the EU, cutting booking features it says people rely on daily while leaving the same search untouched elsewhere.
Reporting from 1 source: GIGAZINE.
The European Commission ruled in July 2026 that Google favored its own services in Search and Google Play, violating the Digital Markets Act, and imposed a combined fine of 890 million euros. To comply within the 60-day window and avoid further penalties of up to 5 percent of global turnover, Google removed direct flight and hotel booking features from EU search results, replacing them with links to travel search engines. Google says the change degrades user experience in Europe and does not apply outside the EU.
Flight and hotel searches in the EU now show a link to a specialized travel search engine at the top, with two other engines listed below it. Google's senior vice president for knowledge and information, Nick Fox, told Reuters the change degrades user experience for Europeans, favors online intermediaries over local businesses, and cuts features people relied on daily. The company said it negotiated carefully with the European Commission after the July ruling, which split the 890 million euro fine, 460 million for Search and 430 million for Google Play. The new layout applies only inside the EU.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.