Posted on 28th Sep, 2021 by Malvika Varma , Updated 4 weeks ago
Hello GlobeTrotter! Travel – is the most exquisite feeling for passionate travelers. The thought of hopping on a plane and jetting off to the dream destination itself elevates the mood. But that happiness instantly shatters once we sit down to book the flights. For some, flight booking is the most anxiety-inducing experience of planning the trip. Google Flights has emerged as a savior for many users as it saves time, stress, and sometimes some hard-earned money! In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the process of how to use Google Flights to find cheap flights like a pro, including some bonus tips. Also lean about Google flights search anywhere feature.
But first, let’s answer a quick question. What factor bothers us the most while planning a trip? You guessed it right; it is flight pricing. Affordable airfare is exactly what we look for while booking the airline ticket. As a traveler, who would mind having to pay as little as possible for every flight? Flights cost a fortune! Flight pricing is tough to predict, and many people can relate to it. Finalizing a flight that doesn’t come with hidden baggage fees can be daunting and downright exhausting. And yes, it is rocket science for a few!
With the quest to find the perfect cheap flight, we spend hours slogging through different websites and search engines. Each website has a unique feature that we do not want to miss. While one website displays fares for an entire month, the other booking engine shows attractive offers and deals. To book cheap flights we want both of these features and many more. Google Flights is indeed an incredible meta search engine that is loaded with all the sought-after features.
So let us get started!
According to a recent survey, Google Flights has been used nearly three times more than plenty of other online travel agencies (OTAs). It indicates it is appealing to the users in a way no other flight search engine on the internet.
First, Google Flights is not a platform or OTA where you can actually buy your flight, hotel, cruise, or any other travel directly. It is a platform where different airlines and OTAs publish the airfare followed by the link to make the purchase. With a handful of travel-related features, Google Flights is much like Google itself. It is a robust website that helps search, plan, and book flight tickets, saving you a ton of time with its valuable features. Its user-friendly, simple, and polished interface truly justifies the phrase ‘the less is more’.
In 2010, Google announced an agreement to acquire a flight information software company named ITA Softwares and launched it in 2011. The rest is history. Since then, Google Flights has taken the travel industry by storm. This global distribution platform has become massively popular among users to check out the airfares even using standard language. Google Flights is a powerful tool to search for the cheapest airfare or other flight booking criteria as it allows for complex queries and returns with a wide range of customized results. With Google Flights search, users get access to a customizable list of flights so that they can fly on a budget to anywhere in the world.
Google Flights has some notable advantages over other flight engines. We have listed a few of them below:
While Google Flights offers amazing features, there are few points that need to be improved.
“Nonetheless, Google Flights is way ahead of its competitors to find cheap flights. The competitive landscape of flight search has been transformed since Google Flights ventured into the travel industry. “
After this brief, let us get straight to the ‘how to’ part.
Start your search to book air tickets by visiting the official site of Google Flights. You can visit the website from your desktop or smartphone browser as there is no app for Google Flights. After clicking on the URL, you will be redirected to the landing page. The Google Flights homepage is a fairly simple interface. You can find the basic search options at the screen. The user-friendliness and effectiveness of using Google Flights is much appreciated. It makes the overall flight search process very hassle-free.
The Menu option (three dashes) in the top left corner gives the following shortcuts.
Lastly, this is also where the user can change the country, language, and currency – a crucial feature.
Now let us understand how to use Google Flights to find cheap flights like a pro. To start your flight search, enter the information, such as where you want to fly from and where you want to fly with the preferred travel dates in the middle of the homepage. You can provide any of the following:
Google Flights has some of the powerful filters which allow the user to narrow down the search results. Here are all the filters you can use while searching for a specific flight.
Suggested Read: Cheapest Days to Fly in 2023
After setting the filters as per your requirements, you get the most suitable list of flights.
You can directly book the ticket with the airline as at the final page, Google Flights directs you to the airline website.
As you scroll through the page after selecting a flight, it will show the chart in the color-coded bar with the usual price in green color, the average price in yellow, or higher than usual airfare by red color. So, Google Flights shows when flights are abnormally expensive so that you can shift your travel dates if you are flexible with dates but have a restricted budget.
Another feature which ensures that you can monitor the changes to the airfare by turning on the toggle button of ‘Track prices’. To get alerts, the user must have a Gmail account to receive e-mails from Google Flights to keep you updated with fluctuating airfare right in your inbox.
Now click on the ‘Select’ option to be redirected to the airline website
Get the payment done, and ta..da..you just booked your flight using Google Flights.
It would be an understatement to say Google Flights is a meta search engine. It is a tech giant and is way ahead of the rest of its competitors due to its unique features and user-friendly interface.
At times we need to change or cancel the flights. To do so, you can contact the airlines or travel agency portal directly to assist you in the cancellation process. The cancellation policy of each airline varies. Google Flights itself do not provide any assistance in changes or cancellations of flights. The email received after flight booking contains all the necessary information about the flight as well as airlines or travel portal.
Google Flights also showcases the carbon emission of each flight. This recently added feature gives a facility for opting for sustainable travel choices. Due to this recent feature added by Google Flights, traveler can consider their environmental footprints. Here is a step-wise process to find.
To sort the flights based on carbon emission, from the Sort by option on the right, select CO2 emissions. This will display the result from lower to higher emissions. It is one of the many Google Flights updates.
The carbon emissions are measured in carbon dioxide equivalent, which means the carbon dioxide and other equivalent greenhouse gases emitted by the aircraft. Google uses data provided by third parties such as airlines. Factors that impact the carbon emissions are destination and origin of flight, aircraft model and its configuration, altitude, and airplane speed. Google keeps revising the carbon emission estimates over time. On Google Flights search anywhere, flights are categorized as higher, typical, lower, or unknown emissions. Such Google Flights updates are a great initiative to make a conscious decision regarding our carbon footprints while traveling.
Google Flights Explore is the best available search option when you want to travel but are unsure of the destination and on a tight budget.
Here are the steps on how to use Google Flights Explore:
Google Flights dominates the SERPs. Google Flights is an excellent flight tool for travelers due to its distinct features. As you know how to use Google Flights to find cheap flights like a pro, all you have to do pack your bags and save some bucks for the next trip. This all about google flights search anywhere.
Do let us know your experience with Google Flights in the comment section below.
Want to know the secret story behind Flights 828? Here are some interesting travel blogs which blow your mind Flight 828 A True Story and Delta Flight Attendant Zip Ties Hijacker. Share your thoughts about such unusual airplane incidents in the comment section below. To stay informed about the aviation news, subscribe to the Superfares newsletter.
Till then, happy flight booking!
A: Google Flights is a one-stop solution for looking best flights. Following is the process.
A: Here is step by step process
A: Follow these simple steps to find cheap flights on google flights
A: No, not all airlines are on Google Flights. Some major airlines do not list their prices on Google Flights. You can check out Superfares website to choose the best flights for your trip.
A: Google Flights is very accurate as it fetches data directly from the airline website. If you find any error, it might be from the airline’s end as the airfare keeps changing.
A: Follow the simple steps to set google flights alerts
Disclaimer:
Google will no longer be booking flights directly now. For travelers outside the USA, the feature will be disabled somewhere around September 2022. And for users in the USA, the feature will no longer be in use post March 2023. However, please note that Google Flights will continue to help travelers browse the best flight options, leading them to an online agency or airline from where flights can be booked.
Malvika Varma is an experienced content marketer and blogger who immensely believes in the wonders that words can do. She assists companies by crafting valuable content for clients. She empowers the digital marketing campaigns to build an effective connection with readers and capture conversions. An engineer by choice and a philomath at heart, Malvika spends most of her time reading, traveling, and catching up with friends and family. When she is not doing all those things, you can find her decorating her home and workspace.
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Continue the good work!
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