• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, September 13, 2011

Google peeled off the wraps from its airline flight search product born from the integration of ITA Software and search technology, but advertisers will need to wait for more tools that tie in a variety of ad options.

Flight Search debuted Tuesday in a select group of U.S. cities. For those getting an early look, the tool offers a "Flights" search link in the left-hand panel that searchers can use to filter results.

The product -- the first of several that Google will release from its ITA acquisition that closed in April -- competes with search features on various sites, including Expedia, Kayak, Orbitz, Hotwire and TripAdvisor. While Google has spent the past five months integrating the ITA team, engineers have been hard at work integrating and building out the technology.

Google said in a blog post that flight results are chosen based on cost and travel time. The tool automatically sets the filters to focus on reasonably priced options for the duration, but those searching can adjust the filters to show even more flights.

Flight Search filters by airline, price or flight duration. Searchers can query flights from nearby airports. A calendar tool allows consumers to view prices that change depending on the day. A bar chart provides information on the days with the best deal for those with a flexible schedule. There is also a map providing ticket price.

Consumers can search on a price and time duration to see the options available. A booking link next to the results allows consumers to pay for the ticket.

Travel-related or luxury brands can launch paid-search campaigns through Google AdWords. Today, the only advertising element within Flight Search is the booking link.

And while Flight Search is for those who want to remain in the Earth's orbit, some Googlers just can't keep their feet on the ground. This year's international Pavilion Lake Research Project (PLRP) team includes a member from Google to help evolve its use of mapping activities and develop data integration platforms based on Google Earth.