Google Flights is Google’s very own flight-searching and booking tool. Launched in 2011, the service allows travelers to more easily find the cheapest route between destinations within any given parameters and enables easy price-tracking.
You can often find cheaper flights on Google Flights than by searching on your own because the software searches and compares across dozens of airlines much faster than an individual can look them up individually and plan an itinerary.
You don’t have to actually book through Google Flights to make use of the software, either. You can choose to book directly with an airline after using Google Flights to find the cheapest flight.
But booking through Google Flights can often add convenience to your travel plans and is integrated with a number of other Google products and services — for instance, you can use Google’s Gemini AI to make travel plans with Google Flights.
Google Assistant can also bring up the Google Flights dashboard and show you flight prices. And if you book a flight using your Gmail account, your details will automatically get added to your Google Calendar.
As a frequent traveler between the US and Canada, I’ve used Google Flights to save hundreds of dollars flying back and forth across the border. Results may vary, of course, but here’s how you can try it for yourself:
How to use Google Flights and find cheap flights on Google
Finding cheap flights is one of the core purposes of Google Flights. If your travel dates are flexible, you can use the date grid to choose dates with the lowest available price.
- Select your departure and return dates by clicking on their respective date tiles in the calendar.
- Click Done and then Search.
Quick tip: Though roundtrip plans are the most common, you can also book one-way tickets by clicking on Round trip and selecting One-way instead.
Once you’ve found a flight that you want, click on it and select your return flight. Unlike some airlines that only show you one-way costs, the price listed for both flights is the roundtrip cost. You will then be shown a summary of what you selected and be prompted to select what type of fare you want. Click Continue, and you’ll be taken to the airline’s website to complete the transaction.
If you scroll down a bit, you’ll notice the price trends chart indicating whether the price is below average, average, or higher than usual.
How to change currency in Google Flights
Once you have search results visible, you can change your country and currency if necessary.
- Once you have search results, scroll down to the bottom of the page.
- Click on the Currency button and select your currency option from the dropdown list.
Quick tip: Currency types are sorted in alphabetical order, meaning that US dollars are near the bottom of the list.
How to track flights on Google Flights
Once you’ve searched for a flight that you are interested in and have results displayed, you can track prices either for that specific date range or any date by enabling their respective notifications.
What airlines are not on Google Flights?
Though Google partners with over 300 airlines, online travel agencies, and aggregators, Google Flights doesn’t track every single airline. Notably, Southwest Airlines in the US isn’t tracked, nor are some major Asian airlines like China Eastern, Air China, and Philippine Airlines.
For other airlines, such as EVA Air and Interjet, only some of their flights are listed on Google Flights.
Quick tip: It’s worth noting that not every airline Google Flights consults will appear in every search. In other words, you won’t find Air Canada listed flying routine routes between LAX and JFK, but you might find a flight from YVR to LAX serviced by WestJet or Air Canada.
What to know about Google Flights’ carbon emissions calculator
Google has drawn criticism from climate experts, who have said Google Flights downplays the impact flights have on climate change.
In 2021, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced that Google Flights would show associated carbon emissions per seat for each flight so fliers can choose the lowest-carbon options if they wish.
But the following year, scientists noted that Google Flights’ carbon flight calculator had been adjusted and now only accounted for the direct CO2 emissions from a flight, excluding all other global-warming effects from flying.
Google has since launched an independent advisory committee to improve its Travel Impact Model, which powers the per-passenger CO2 emissions data on Google Flights.
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