You probably know of Google Flights and have used it to look for deals. It runs on ITA Matrix (also used by Kayak) and possibly the fastest option around.
There’s a number of great features that make using Google Flights a breeze and we’ll run through a few of our favorites.
- The notifications available to mobile users tell you when prices may increase (not available for all routes) and can be helpful for finding deals.
- The destination flexibility is handy. Unsure where to go? Type in “Europe” or “Asia” or “South America” to get ideas and rates.
- You can filter your options by airline, stopovers, flight duration, price, airfare class and more.
But let’s talk about some of the other features it has that you may not find on other online travel agency (OTA) websites.
When you use the calendar, you can see the fares for each day. This can be a great option, especially with longer flights, as a slight adjustment on destination or departure dates can help save.
Within the calendar you can see actual flight pricing.
You can also click on the “Price Graph” to explore your options more.
You can even track historical prices yourself on flights that you tell Google to monitor.
The Flight Insights also make it easy to see if you’re getting a cheap flight deal.
Google Flights also offers tips on whether you getting a deal, along with guides on the area you’re visiting.
Sometimes the tips can offer such advice as flying earlier/later to save, or an alternative nearby airport.
Finding the cheapest days to fly is a breeze with Google Flights. Does that make it the best choice around?
Not likely, as there’s lots of options and you usually want to try a few before booking.
In fact, we found that when using Google Flights we were able to beat the airfare shown by more than half the time.
From using the website of the airline shown to trying others like Kayak, Booking, Skyscanner, Orbitz and a whole lot of others.
One of our favorite features is the ability to filter the max layover times.
The option to view buying flights as separate tickets, which requires booking the tickets individually can provide even further savings.
And finally, choosing a place like Europe and scanning the potential destinations (and prices) is probably a favorite with most.
While there isn’t a single tool that’s going to bring you the best cheap flight deals (part of why we created CheapoFlights!) we would have to say that Google Flights is a must use when trying to track down those travel deals. Just remember, check around, because rates vary. In many cases, by a lot.