Here are five money-saving tips on using Google Flights to find the best airfares.
Even though airfares have spiked this summer due to increased demand, there are still ways to make sure you still get the best deal possible when searching for your next getaway.
Google Flights offers travelers the option to search for deals, explore the map for trip inspiration, and even bookmark flight itineraries to receive alerts when there’s a price drop. Here are the five best tips and tricks on how to use Google Flight’s search tools to make the most of trip planning (and maximize savings in the process).
1. Use the “Explore” tool.
Google’s “Explore” tool allows travelers to search a map and put in as little or as much information on a potential trip as they want. Travelers can put in their origin city or airport, and then put in either specific dates or flexible dates like a whole month. Then, move around the map to see prices to popular destinations around the world, zooming in and out of different regions to find the best deal.
The best way to find a deal is to be flexible on both the dates and destination. Someone planning a European vacation, for example, could use it to find out which city would be the most cost effective to fly into, and then build the trip around that.
2. Set price alerts.
Google allows travelers to set alerts for both very general flight itineraries and very specific ones. Travelers can set up an alert for specific days, flexible days, how many stops they’re willing to make, and even if they want to fly in economy or business class. The only limitations are how far into the future the airline has scheduled its flights.
So if you’re in San Francisco and want to plan a long weekend in London, you can set an alert to keep notifying you of any significant changes in price on a four-day trip into the future. Or you can track for specific dates in particular.
How to set up a price alert? On the Google Flights homepage, select your origin and destination airports and travel dates. Select round-trip or one-way tickets, the number of travelers, and which class you want to fly (economy, business, etc.). Hit Search and you’ll see some flight options. Below them, you’ll see a block in red; clicking this will toggle on price tracking—you’ll receive a Google Flights notification via email if your tracked flight significantly drops or increases in price. Note: You must have a Gmail account to receive Google Flights price alerts.
3. Use the price graph and grid.
Google has a price graph and price grid feature that allows users to see how prices tend to change over time. Once you have an origin and a destination, the calendar feature will pop up and show you two months of prices. You can see the cheapest round-trip flight options immediately, and the best deals are highlighted in green. If you click the arrows to the right of the calendar view, you’ll see what’s available in the coming months.
The calendar defaults to seven-day trips; at the bottom left corner of the calendar you can use the arrows to increase or decrease the duration of your trip. When you select DONE, you’ll be taken to your results. At the top of the results, you’ll see the options listed for Date Grid, Price Graph, and Nearby Airports.
4. Don’t forget about split tickets.
When you’re searching for a flight, Google will sometimes show split tickets (separate itineraries on different airlines) at a lower price than an itinerary on a single airline. (I’ve written about the benefits of split tickets before.) Remember checking a bag may complicate flying on a split ticket, as baggage handling may not be carried across the two carriers.
5. Plan early.
The best way to see how flight prices change (and what is a good deal) is to start planning early; in fact, the earlier, the better. Prices tend to trend up as you get closer to your departure date because inventory is more constrained (people are buying up tickets on the flights). If you’re thinking about holiday travel, check out Google Flights now!
Twist’s Take: Here are five money-saving tips on using Google flights to find the best airfares.
