Google Flights is your one-stop shop to booking affordable flights around the US and the world. It is one of the most powerful travel search engines online; therefore mastering it will prevent many travel headaches in the future. Use Google Flights in combination with our tips to plan your next trip to create your perfect trip!
Pros of Google Flights
- Ease of Use – Google Flights’ interface makes it easy to navigate and plan your trip.
- Free – there is no cost to use this tool.
- Price alerts functionality – this tool allows you to set up price alerts when rates fluctuate, so there’s no need to check back constantly.
Cons
- Incomplete market listing – not all airlines use Google Flights, namely budget airlines like Southwest Airlines.
- Breadth of content – having the entire web’s flight listing at your fingertips can be overwhelming at times.
The Basics
The functionality of the Google Flights program is incredibly easy to use. Use the to/from airport and dates fields to input your trip details.
Customize Your Flight
This is where the fun starts. You can customize your flight results with any of the following field filters: seat class (Economy, Premium Economy, Business, First Class), bags, stops, airlines, price, times, connecting airports, and flight duration. Editing any of these criteria will instantly update your search results.
Google Flights also has three dynamic filters: Date Grid, Price Graph, and Nearby Airports.
Date Grid allows you to compare prices between your departure and return date. In our case, returning a few days later would save us a few extra dollars that we could use in a Vegas slot machine. Use the left and right arrows at the top of this pop-up screen to adjust dates outside of the 7 displayed automatically.
Price Graph displays how expensive your flight details are compared to similar length trips in the near future. Our example shows similar 3 day trips to Vegas.
Nearby Airports gives you options about adjusting your trip. In our example, Las Vegas only has one major airport. In other cases, you can use this functionality to plan your trip depending on which airlines have the best deals.
The Track Prices toggle provides you with the flexibility to book travel whenever prices fluctuate in your favor. Checking this will provide you with pricing alerts via email so you know when to book your trip.
Choosing the Best Flight
Google Flights will automatically sort the best departing flights for you and display them at the top of the page. The program will also display how the prices are tracking for your trip and other flights available.
Click through the various flights you’d like and Google provides your price (which includes taxes). Keep in mind that Google Flights isn’t an online travel agency, it’s a search engine. In this regard, you will actually book the flights on the airline’s website.
Google Maps Functionality
A hidden gem to help plan a trip (especially internationally) is the Google Maps function in Google Flights. Simply click on the map on the home screen and the map will display various cities you can visit with included price points.
Flexibility is the key to utilize this tool. You can change the duration of the trip by clicking on the date to get the best possible rate. Also be sure to update your bags to ensure the most accurate rates.
Odds and Ends
Be sure to update your settings (language, currency, country, etc) by clicking the hamburger to the top left (three horizontal lines).
Also Google Hotels is a great feature to utilize once you have your flights booked. Being flexible with your hotels will make them the most affordable. Do your research about the hotels by reading reviews on multiple sites.
Happy travels!
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We’re going to Florida in a couple weeks and this is great info. Thanks