I know this blog talks a lot about using miles. However many of our flights are actually paid, especially within the US. Google Flights is my go to tool in finding flights. In this post, I will be going into detail on how I use it to quickly find flights for specific dates or if I am just looking over time.
Google flights makes things easy
Google has added quite a lot of functionality over the past few years. Overall, they make it very easy to look at a calendar view. This is my go-to to check on prices for upcoming trips and am able to see whole calendar months at a time. That way, I can quickly see if ticket prices are a good deal or in normal range. Google also makes it easy by highlighting dates in green when the cheapest flights available. In general, I have found that any round-trip ticket in the US for under $300 is not a bad deal. As you can see, prices can vary quite a lot and it is very useful to better understand what flights could cost.
This is what I was able to utilize when I booked the “error fare” to Thailand a few weeks ago and wrote about here.
Convenient functionality
Google Flights continues to evolve to help you narrow down your search. For example, I refuse to fly on Spirit airlines, after a terrible experience. Filtered out. I need to ensure that I am to be able to bring a carry on. You can filter for that now, since more and more airlines charge for checked bags. Don’t want more than one stop on the way? Let’s filter those flights out too.
Once you’ve selected your flights, they also allow you to link directly to the cheapest website to actually book your flights. Talk about convenience.
Looking at one-way prices
It can also be worthwhile to look at one-way tickets. Maybe one carrier has a cheaper or more convenient flight one way, but not on your way home. For flights within the US, that can be a good tactic to find the perfect flights at the best times. For travel overseas, this method doesn’t actually work and you should always look to book round-trip tickets. Buying one ways can be 5-10 times more expensive than a round-trip for overseas flights. Below is an example for a trip from Chicago to Frankfurt in November.
Daydreaming about getting away
If you aren’t actually sure where to go, but know you need a vacation, their map option is quite useful.
With this function, you are able to select your home airport and play around with different destinations. Prices are calculated almost instantly. That way also helps you visualize where and how far you would have to go for a particular destination. Living in Chicago, that feature becomes especially intriguing once January and February hits.
Summary
Google Flights has become my go to tool for all flights that I book. The easy-to-use interface, plethora of filters and search options allow me to quickly find the best and cheapest flights. This is also my starting point if I see super expensive flights to look if using miles might make more sense. I just used it the other week to book my brother flights to visit us in April of next year and were able to score tickets for $300 round-trip from Germany.
What is your preferred travel search engine?
I usually use Kayak because I really like the interface and it has been my go to for the last few years, but may try switching to google flights. Is there an app for it?
No App unfortunately, but can use your browser.