Google has begun rolling out degraded search results for travel queries across Europe as it complies with the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA) — and is publicly warning that the changes make search significantly worse for users.
The European Commission hit Google with a €460 million ($543 million) fine in July for preferencing its own services in travel and shopping searches. Under the DMA, Google had 60 days to comply — putting the deadline at September 23, after which the company can be fined up to 5% of its global revenue.
For European users, changes include: instant pricing and availability for hotels and flights will disappear; search results will show links to specialized search engines at the top, followed by two others with fewer details; and carousels of hotels, airlines, or restaurants will appear without real-time pricing. Rankings must be determined by Google's search algorithm rather than its business interests.
"To comply with DMA requirements, we're making significant changes to Search in Europe," Google's Nick Fox told Reuters. "These changes degrade the user experience for Europeans, boosting online intermediaries at the expense of local businesses and removing helpful features people rely on every day."
Google says its own tests show users don't like the degraded results, noting that people have to retype search queries more often. The company argues this evidence suggests the changes harm European users, though critics note Google also benefits from higher search volume.
The changes are part of the EU's broader push to rein in Big Tech under the DMA, which has also prompted US threats of economic sanctions against the bloc for fining American tech companies. Google and other "gatekeeper" companies continue to oppose the law as enforcement intensifies.
