How to Find Cheaper Flights Using Google Flights – Forbes Advisor

There are various apps and sites that help travelers find cheap flights, but many of us gravitate toward the tried and tested Google Flights. There are good reasons for this. Google Flights is a fast and powerful search engine that covers almost all airlines and many online travel agencies. Its extensive feature suite allows you to quickly find flights that fit your plans and budget.

There are many factors to consider when finding cheap flights. Are you flexible with dates, departure or arrival airports? How far in advance should I book? Is Tuesday the best day to book a flight? (No.)

In general, the more flexible you are with choosing dates, destinations and airlines, the better your chances of getting a ticket. However, even if you have set travel criteria, Google Flights is a very efficient way to identify the cheapest flights that suit your needs.

Please note that Google Flights is only a search engine and does not sell flights. Instead, your search results will contain links to various airlines and travel agencies that can sell your chosen flight.

Here are some tips for using Google Flights. Make them work to minimize the cost of your next vacation.

Expand airport search to more airports

Adding departure and arrival airports to your search will increase the number of flights and you may find cheaper options.

Google Flights has the ability to search for multiple nearby airports. This is especially important in cities with numerous airports, such as London and New York City. If you enter a specific airport code, such as JFK, the search results will only show flights from John F. Kennedy Airport. If you type “New York” or “NYC” instead, the drop-down menu will show John F. Kennedy (JFK), Newark (EWR), and LaGuardia (LGA). Selecting New York selects all airports in the area (JFK, EWR, LGA).

Similarly, entering “London” will show only flights to and from London Heathrow, while entering LHR will show all six airports in the London area. Make sure you are willing to travel in and out of some of the alternatives as it can be quite a distance.

If you want to travel to and depart from completely different cities (also known as “positioning”), you can enter multiple departure airports in the search box, separated by commas.

You can also select multiple arrival airports. This is an excellent strategy, especially for Europe, where ‘crossing the pond’ is a major expense. Once in Europe, there are many low-cost airlines that can reach your final destination.

Set maximum prices and adjust flight criteria

Google Flights gives you many options to customize your flight to your requirements. Perhaps you are loyal to a particular airline or airline alliance. Or maybe you prefer direct flights. You can also specify flight time, departure time and preferred connecting airport. But keep in mind that the more you limit your search, the fewer flights it finds, and usually the higher the fare.

Stay within your budget by using the slider bar to limit search results to the maximum price you can afford.

Note that by default, Google Flights does not show carry-on baggage fees if they are charged. A roller bag icon with a slash will appear if there is an additional charge for baggage. Many airlines offer free carry-on baggage, but only some airlines charge for carry-on baggage.

Use the baggage filter to view fares that include carry-on and checked baggage for a more accurate flight price comparison. Google Flights uses estimated baggage price information provided by our partners, so always check with your airline before purchasing a ticket.

Find the cheapest dates using the calendar view or date grid

calendar view

Enter your origin, destination and dates and you’ll be able to scroll through flight prices for 12 months of your itinerary. Click the small calendar icon. The daily fares for the specified number of days of stay for the current month and the following month will be displayed.

This makes it easy to see when travel is cheapest not only for the month, but throughout the year. Prices lower than search results are highlighted in green for easy identification. Shifting the dates by even one day can dramatically change the price.

Use the arrows below the calendar to increase or decrease the length of stay. Use the side arrows to move forward or backward through the months.

date grid

The date grid is similar to the calendar view, but more compact and easier to read. The highlighted green fare shows the combination of dates that result in the cheapest fare. Red highlights the highest fares.

Use the arrows at the top to adjust your departure date, or use the side arrows to adjust your return date.

Flight fare tracking

You can choose to track your flights with Google Flights and be notified by email of price changes for a specified date or any date. You must be signed in to your Google account to use this feature.

Let’s see the price data

You can access historical price data by selecting a date and viewing the search results. Google Flights gives you insight into whether the fares you see are regular, expensive, or cheap. Its rating is located below the flight results.

Click “View price history” to view historical price data for your flight date. This graph shows that the price of this flight dropped 22 days before him. Prices are lower than usual now, so it’s probably a good time to buy.

A price graph shows price trends over time. This visualization makes it easy to spot unusual dates that are cheaper or more expensive than the average. This is great if you’re looking for the elusive mistake fare. A sample price graph shows that our dates are cheaper than regular fares, and unsurprisingly, the most expensive fares are during Christmas time.

Beware of Google Tips

Google Flights will make suggestions such as changing airports and dates to lower fares, so keep an eye out for these saving tips.

Browse all search results

Google Flights automatically sorts flight search results by a combination of factors like price, convenience and duration, placing the “best flights” at the top of the list. Cheapest flights may not always appear at the top. The factors Google uses to determine the best flight may not be the same as your priorities, so we recommend scrolling through the results to see all options.

Search with “Explore”

Use the Explore feature to see the cheapest fares to various destinations within the next 6 months.To activate this feature, enter the desired departure city and click the two[Explore]Click one of the icons and leave all other boxes blank.

This feature is ideal for travelers who don’t have a specific destination in mind and are interested in finding the perfect opportunity.

After launching the Explore function, you will immediately see a map of the cheapest round-trip economy fares from your selected departure airport to various destinations. By default, Explore will set him a week off in economy class within the next six months. If you’re interested in Business Class or Premium Economy instead, you can change your class of service. Try moving the map. See what’s possible in the world.

In the Where are you going? box, you can narrow your search by specifying a specific country (such as Italy) or continent (such as Asia). Or, even easier, zoom in on a specific area to get more destination options within the map window.

Once you’ve found a destination and price that appeals to you, click the speech bubble and flight details and dates will appear in the left bar.

You can customize your search when you want to travel or if you have a specific time period in mind. Click “His Weekend Trips in the Next 6 Months” and specify search parameters such as “February weekend trips” or “His two week trips in May.” Explore also works for specific dates.

The same options that are used in regular Google flight searches are also available in Explore. Additionally, you can select interests within an Explore. Choose from Outdoors, Beaches, Museums, History, Skiing and Popular to further refine your search.

Limitations of Google Flights

Nothing in life is perfect. That’s also true for Google Flights. Here are some of its drawbacks:

1. Google Flights does not provide results for Southwest Airlines. Indicates that the route has a southwest flight, but the price cannot be increased. To get pricing information, you need to go directly to Southwest’s website.
2. Google Flights raises prices once every 24 hours. This means that you may find lower prices on Google Flights that are no longer available.

Conclusion

Google Flights is a powerful and fast way to quickly find cheaper fares for your flight itinerary. Even if you don’t have a specific destination in mind, the Explore feature will help you find trips within your budget. Use the techniques above to upgrade your Google flight search skills and save money.