Home/How To Use The Google Flight
Are you a savvy traveler looking to explore the world without breaking the bank? One of the most powerful tools at your disposal is Google Flights, and it’s not just for booking flights. Google Flights offers a treasure trove of features and hacks that can help you uncover budget-friendly travel destinations and secure the best deals on your next adventure. From flexible date searches to fare alerts and the Explore Map, this digital travel companion can be your ticket to discovering hidden gems and cost-effective getaways. In this guide, we’ll take you through the strategies and tricks to make the most of Google Flights and embark on your dream vacations without emptying your wallet.
1.Flexible Dates and Destination Search:
How To Use It:
- Visit the Google Flights website at https://www.google.com/flights.
- Start by entering your departure city or airport in the “Flying from” field.
- In the “Where to” field, you have several options:
- You can enter a specific destination if you have one in mind.
- To find budget-friendly destinations, you can type “Everywhere.” This opens up a world of possibilities by displaying a list of destinations sorted by price.
- If you’re more interested in exploring a specific region, you can enter a country, state, or continent (e.g., “Europe” or “Caribbean”) to see the best fares to that general area.
- Select your preferred departure date. You can choose a specific date or a date range for your trip.
2.Set Fare Alerts:
How To Use It:
- After you’ve entered your travel details, including your departure and destination cities and travel dates, you can click on the “Track prices” button, usually located near the top of the page on Google Flights.
- Once you click on this button, Google Flights will ask if you want to enable fare tracking for that specific itinerary. Confirm by selecting “Track prices.”
- You will need to sign in with your Google account or provide your email to set up the fare alert.
- Google Flights will monitor the prices for the flights on your selected route and send you email notifications when it detects price drops or increases.
3.Use the Explore Map:
How To Use It:
- To access the Explore Map feature, go to the Google Flights website (https://www.google.com/flights).
- Instead of entering a specific departure city, you can leave the “Flying from” field empty or enter your preferred departure location.
- In the “Where to” field, you can type “Everywhere” to discover a list of destinations with the lowest fares or enter a specific region, country, or city to explore flights to that area.
- Click on the “Explore” button, and Google Flights will display a world map with various destinations marked with their respective prices. You can click on a destination to see more details about available flights.
4.Filter and Sort Results:
How To Use It:
- After entering your departure city, destination, and travel dates on the Google Flights website (https://www.google.com/flights), you’ll see a list of flight options.
- On the left side of the screen, you’ll find various filter options to refine your search results. These filters typically include:
- Number of stops: You can choose to filter for non-stop flights or specify a maximum number of stops.
- Airlines: Filter by specific airlines if you have a preference or want to consider only certain carriers.
- Flight times: You can filter by times of day, allowing you to select options that align with your schedule.
- Duration: Filter by flight duration to find flights that best match your comfort and time preferences.
- Airport: You can select specific departure and arrival airports or choose to include airports in your search.
- Price range: Set a price range to ensure you’re only seeing flights within your budget.
5. Track Price Trends:
How To Use It:
- Start by visiting the Google Flights website (https://www.google.com/flights).
- Enter the destination and the city or airport of your departure.
- Choose your travel dates.
- Google Flights will generate a list of flight options.
- Click on the flight you’re interested in, and it will display a fare graph or price trend chart. This chart provides a visual representation of how the fares for that particular route are expected to change over time.
6. Incorporate Nearby Airports:
How to Use It:
- When conducting a flight search on the Google Flights website (https://www.google.com/flights), you’ll see options to enter your departure city or airport, destination, and travel dates.
- To incorporate nearby airports into your search:
- Before clicking the “Search” button, check the box that says “Include nearby airports” under the “Where to” or “Flying from” fields.
- This will expand your search to include flights departing from or arriving at airports in close proximity to your selected locations.
7. Use the “Price Grid” Feature:
How To Use It:
- Begin by visiting the Google Flights website (https://www.google.com/flights).
- Enter your destination and the city or airport of your departure.
- Choose your travel dates.
- Google Flights will generate a list of flight options.
- To access the “Price Grid” feature:
- Click on “Price grid” or “Calendar” (the wording may vary) typically found above or below the list of flights.
- This feature displays a calendar view with a grid of prices for the specific route and travel dates you entered. It allows you to see how prices vary across different days.
8. Book with Google Flights or Airlines Directly:
How To Use It:
- After conducting a flight search on the Google Flights website (https://www.google.com/flights) and finding a flight that meets your preferences and budget, you have the option to book the flight through Google Flights or go to the airline’s official website to book directly.
- To book through Google Flights:
- To book a flight, click on it.
- Google Flights will provide details about the flight and an option to book through select online travel agencies (OTAs) or the airline’s website. Select the one that best meets your requirements.
- To book directly through the airline’s website:
- Click on the “View Deal” button, which typically directs you to the airline’s official website. There, you can complete the booking process with the airline directly.
9. Combine Airlines:
How To Use It:
- When searching for flights on the Google Flights website (https://www.google.com/flights), you have the option to create your own itinerary by combining flights from different airlines. This can involve booking separate one-way tickets or considering layovers.
- After entering your departure city, destination, and travel dates, explore the flight options that Google Flights provides.
- To combine flights from different airlines:
- Select one-way flights for the outbound and return journeys.
- On the search results page, you can choose different airlines for each leg of your trip.
- Consider layovers at connecting airports if they offer cost savings. In some cases, a layover can be more affordable than a non-stop flight.
10. Consider Nearby Destinations:
How To Use It:
- When searching for flights on the Google Flights website (https://www.google.com/flights), consider nearby destinations as an alternative to your primary choice.
- This approach involves booking a flight to a nearby city or airport and then using other forms of transportation, such as trains, buses, or rental cars, to reach your final destination.
11. Use Google Flights in Incognito Mode:
How To Use It:
- Most web browsers have an incognito or private browsing mode. You can enable this mode when using Google Flights to conduct your flight searches.
- In Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Edge, you can open a new incognito window by pressing Ctrl+Shift+N (or Command+Shift+N on a Mac).
- In Safari, you can open a private browsing window by selecting “File” and then “New Private Window.”
Bottom Line
Budget-friendly travel destinations can be found through seasonality, local events, and airline promotions, so start your search early and be flexible to find the best deals.
Q1. What is Google Flight?
A. Google Flights is a flight search engine that allows users to find and book flights from over 300 airline and online travel agency partners. It allows users to explore cheap flights, search destinations, track prices, filter search by cabin class, airlines, and stops, and book round trip, one-way, and multi-city tickets.
Q2. How do I use Google Flights?
A. To find matching flights, visit Google Flights and select your ticket type, passengers, and travel class. Enter departure and arrival cities and travel dates. Filter by airlines, stops, and price range. Track prices or choose “Any dates” if flexible
Q3. How does Google Flights compare to other flight search
engines?
A. Google Flights is a popular flight search engine with various features for finding cheap flights. Kayakpapa compared it to Kayak for accurate results and flexible date options. However, for a user-friendly interface and additional features, Kayak is better. IBTimes found Bing Travel to be better for finding cheaper prices, offering more results and a unique price predictor feature. Google Flights has the technology, speed, and vast user base, but may be better suited for specific needs.