Google Flights Hack: How To Use Google Flights To Find Cheap Flights

Google Flights is a super useful and powerful flight search engine where you can search for flights to different destinations worldwide. It lets you compare prices from different airlines, and you can also filter your search by things like price, number of stops, and departure times. Basically, it’s a comprehensive cheap flight search engine for finding the best and cheapest flight for your next adventure!

 Google flights is a flight search tool–not an online travel agency (OTA). Unlike others such as Expedia, Booking, or Orbitz (OTA’s) Google Flights isn’t reselling airline flights to you.

Instead, it’s giving you the pricing information and all the flight options available! OTA’s upcharges flights to cover their fees, so by using Google Flights you save money by booking the lowest prices.

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Powerful Data & Analytics From Google Flights

 Google is the most used online search engine. They have powerful data and analytics to show the best and most comprehensive list of flights and all possible flight routes. 

Super Quick and Lighting Fast

Google Flights is crazy fast! It uses advanced technology to search thousands of flights in just a few seconds, so you don’t have to spend hours browsing different websites to find the best deals.

Powerful Filters To Search and Compare

You can filter by things like the number of stops, the duration of your flight, and the airline you want to fly with. You can also filter by price range, departure and arrival times, and even the type of plane you’ll be flying on. 

In addition,  you can also filter by the number of layovers you want, the amount of baggage you’ll be bringing, and even the carbon emissions of your flight. That way, you can make sure you’re choosing a flight that aligns with your environmental values. It’s really helpful if you want to be more conscious of your impact on the planet. 

Plus, you can easily toggle the filters on and off to see different options and compare prices. It’s a great way to find flights that fit your specific needs and preferences. And the best part is that you can easily adjust your filters and search again if you don’t find what you’re looking for on your first try.

Use Google Flight Calendar View 

A month-by-month price view that lets you see prices for different dates. This makes it easy to spot what month and dates have the cheapest flights. How do you know it’s the cheapest? Google Flights has a handy color-coded pricing guide (it uses their analytics and data) to give you the average prices in the past so you know if you’re getting a good deal or not. 

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Compare Prices Using Google Flights

With Google Flights, you can easily compare prices for flights to your destination from different airlines and different airport departure and arrival airports! You can even see a graph of how prices change over time, so you can decide whether to buy your tickets now or wait for a better deal. It’s really helpful if you’re on a budget and want to find the cheapest flights possible.

Google Flights has The Ability to Track Prices for a Specific Flight

One of the coolest features of Google Flights is that it lets you track the price of a specific flight over time. So if you’re planning a trip but aren’t ready to book just yet, you can keep an eye on the price and get notified when it drops. All you have to do is click the “Track Price” button for your desired flight, and Google Flights will send you an email when the price changes. It’s a super helpful tool for anyone who wants to save money on airfare!

Airplane seat Size and Baggage Fee Information

Did you know that Google Flights can also give you useful information about seats, baggage, and plane details for your flight? When you select a specific flight, you can click on the “Details” button to see things like seat pitch, in-flight amenities, and baggage fees. This is really helpful if you want to make sure you have enough legroom or if you need to know what kind of baggage allowance you’ll have.

Book Flights Directly With The Arline

Another huge advantage! If you’ve read my tips on travel hacks, you know that the best way to book is always directly with the airline. From better customer service to other perks,I always book direct, Read more must-know hacks if you want to learn more.

Visual Map-Based Search in Google Flights

The most underutilized and hidden feature is Google Flights Map Search Explore!  It’s a really cool feature that lets you browse flight prices to destinations all over the world on an interactive map. You can zoom in and out, filter your search by dates and price range, and even see the cheapest flights for each region. It’s a great way to discover new travel destinations and get inspired for your next trip. Plus, it’s super easy to use and the visual aspect of the map makes it really fun to explore. 

Things To Note About Google Flights:

Keep in Mind, Google Flights doesn’t show flights for Southwest Airlines! It’s best to compare flights from google and Southwest if you fly Southwest often.  Also, Google doesn’t make mistake fares, so it’s best to use Scotts’ Cheap Flights or other mistake fare finders. 

Now you know the awesome benefits of using Google Flights, let’s dive into the details and show you step-by-step how to conduct your search and how to use all the useful features and filters! 

How To Use Google Flights To Find Cheap Flights

Go to Google Flights at https://www.google.com/flight. Remember, there isn’t a Google Flights App so you will need to search in the browser! But don’t worry, it’s super easy to navigate and use. Let’s show you how!

The Menu & Navigation

The menu is in the top left corner (see those three dashes?) Click to expand this is where you’ll find the “tracked flight price”. On the left-hand side, you’ll Google Flights “Explore” another useful feature, more on that later on!

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How To Seach For Flights on Google Flights  

Enter your departure and arrival cities: In the “From” and “To” fields, type in the airports or cities, you’ll be departing from and arriving at.

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Travel Tip:  Save by booking a multi-city itinerary and fly an open jaw ticket! Especially if your destination is in Europe.  Flights are often the same cost and it’ll save you a lot of time without having to backtrack. 

1. Choose your travel dates: Use the calendar feature to select the dates you want to travel.
2. Add filters: If you want, you can add filters to your search to narrow down your options (more details below!) For example, you can filter by the number of stops, airline, or departure time.
3. Browse your results: After you’ve entered your search criteria, Google Flights will show you a list of available flights. You can view them in order of price, duration, or departure time. 
4. Select your flight: Click on the flight class you want to book. Google will show you what’s included in each flight class and additional costs! Select the flight you want to book, and Google Flights will take you to the airline’s website to complete your booking.

For more money-saving tips and hacks check out my 71 Must-Know Travel hacks!

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How To Use Filter in Google Flights To Find the Best Flight Deal 

Using filters on Google Flights is super easy and can help you find the perfect flight. Once you’ve entered your departure and arrival cities and chosen your travel dates, you’ll see a list of available flights. To apply filters, click on the “Filter” button at the top of the page. Here are some examples of the filters you can use:

Number of stops

You can choose to see only direct flights or flights with one or two stops

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Airline & Airline Alliances 

 You can filter by specific airlines if you have a preference. Another handy feature is the ability to filter by airline alliances! By using these filters, you can choose to only see flights from a specific airline or alliance.

This can be especially useful if you have loyalty with a particular airline or if you’re trying to earn frequent flyer miles. Additionally, if you’re a member of an airline alliance, such as Star Alliance or Oneworld, you can use the alliance filter to see flights from all of the airlines within that alliance. This can make it easier to find flights that connect through your preferred hub or to take advantage of alliance benefits such as lounge access It’s an easy way to rack up those reward miles/points!

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Connecting airports

 If you don’t mind layovers, you can choose to see flights that connect through specific airports.

Price

 You can set a price range to see only flights within your budget.

Departure and arrival times

You can choose the time of day you want to depart and arrive.

Flight class

 You can filter by economy, business, or first-class flights.

Aircraft type

 If you have a preference for a specific type of aircraft, you can filter your results accordingly.

Flight amenities

 You can also filter by amenities such as Wi-Fi, in-flight entertainment, and food options.

Flight duration

 You can set a minimum and maximum flight duration.

Carbon emissions

 You can filter by flights with lower carbon emissions.

Baggage

 You can filter by the number of bags you’ll be bringing. Note that some flights do not inclue carry-on bags! Google will let you know this.

How to Find the Cheapest Days to Travel with Google Flights

The Calander View is the star of the show here! By using the calendar view, you can easily see which days have the cheapest flights (highlighted in green), allowing you to be flexible with your travel dates and put money back into your wallet!

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Use The Date Grid to see even more savings! This will pull up a handy color-coded grid showing you the cheapest flights based on departure and return dates, and by being flexible for one or two days you can save more money

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Google even shows you the data in a Graph chart! It’s seriously the most powerful way to analyze flights and find the cheapest flight deals!

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How to Find Cheap Flights and Vacation with Google Flights Explore

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