Are you looking for a way to find cheap flights by learning the best google flights hack? Look no further than this how to use google Google Flights article!
What is so awesome about Google Flights? It’s the best flight search engine that makes it easy to compare flight prices and find the best deals. It’s designed for anyone who wants to save money on airfare, whether you’re planning a vacation or a business trip.
In this article, I’ll show you how to use Google Flights search to find the cheapest flights possible. With over 60 trips under my belt and a passion for travel, you can trust that I’ve used Google Flights extensively to find the best deals out there. So let’s get started and find your next adventure at an affordable price!
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What is Google 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!
How Is Google Flight Different Than Expedia, Booking, or Orbitz?
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.
Why Use Google Flights?
Google Flights is awesome because it makes finding the best flight deals a breeze. It has useful features like a calendar view that lets you see prices for different dates, and the ability to track prices for a specific flight so you know when to buy. You can also filter your search results by things like flight duration, layover time, and even airline alliance. Plus, the website is really user-friendly and easy to navigate, so you don’t have to be a travel expert to use it.
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.
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!
Get travel insurance: Life happens when you’re traveling: it’s best to be prepared and protected from theft and accidents. Check out travel insurance and get extra peace of mind.
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!
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.
- Choose your travel dates: Use the calendar feature to select the dates you want to travel.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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
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!
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!
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
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!
How to Find Cheap Flights and Vacation with Google Flights Explore
Don’t know where to go? Google Flights Explore can be a great tool to use. To get started, simply enter your departure airport and travel date and select “Explore” instead of entering a specific destination.
This will bring up a map with a variety of destinations and their corresponding prices. You can adjust the dates and price range to narrow down your options, and even filter by activities or interests.
Once you find a destination that interests you, simply click on it to see the available flights and prices.
Read the Detailed Full Guide on How To Use Google Flights Explore!
How To Tell if You Found a Good Deal on Google Flights
As I mentioned earlier, Google uses historical data to tell you exactly how the price you’re getting compares to previous years and months. It shows you with a color-coded graph/chart how your price compares. Remember, Google Flights is comparing this to last year’s data, so if there is a major political or financial event in the current year this data may be skewed. And of course, to know if you’re getting a good deal or not to aim to be is to be in the green zone!
How To book multi-city flights on Google Flights
Booking open-jaw tickets is a great hack to save time and money by not backtracking.
Here’s how to search and book multi-city flights on Google Flights!
- Google Flights makes it easy to book multi-city flights. To get started, simply click on the “Multi-city” tab instead of the “Round-trip” tab.
- Then, enter your departure and arrival cities for each leg of your trip, along with the corresponding dates.
- You can add up to six legs to your trip, depending on your travel plans. Once you’ve entered all of your information, Google Flights will show you the available flights and prices for each leg of your trip.
- You can select different airlines or flights for each leg, giving you more flexibility in your travel plans.
- When you’re ready to book, simply follow the prompts to complete your reservation. It’s that easy!
Other Tips For Using Google Flights
Compare prices by selecting multiple cities’ departure and arrival airport
The amazing ability to search up to 7 departure and destination airports is awesome to price compare! There’s always a better deal to be had, and this is such a great way to hack this.
Use Price Alerts To Save Money on Flights
Another awesome tool from Google Flights. If you have dates in mind but don’t know where to go and are flexible with your destination. This price alert has saved me tons of cash. You get alerts directly to your inbox when the price drops. I mean, it’s a no-brainer!
Read my step-by-step article on how to set up and use price alerts on Google Flights.
Wrap Up
In conclusion, utilizing Google Flights hack strategies can be a powerful tool for finding the best deals on airfare. By taking advantage of flexible dates, price tracking, and other tips, you can save money and have more flexibility in your travel plans. The ease and power of Google search make it a convenient way to find and book cheap flights, and with a little bit of research and strategy, you can enjoy big savings on your next trip. So go ahead, give it a try, and start exploring the world without breaking the bank!
Rather listen than read? Check out this video!
Want more helpful planning tips?
Check out these articles :
how to plan a trip: The complete step-by-step guide
How To Use Google Flights To Find Cheap Flights
How To Use Google Flights Explore
How To Set Price Alerts on Google Flights
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