6) Google Flights
(With thanks to
wilsnunn - draft version).
Google Flights is the main flight search engine provided by Google, and can be a very useful way to find cheap fares quickly and as a starting point for more advanced searches using ITA Matrix (see post 7). Google Flights is relatively intuitive so this is just a short overview.
Google Flights has
two different methods for searching for flights:
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1) A
standard search for flights from AAA to BBB on given dates. Here you can pick from return flights, one way flights or multi city flights (up to 6 individual flights). Google Flights allows you to filter your results by airline or alliance and offers some, but by no means all, of the basic functionality provided by ITA Matrix without the advanced tools that are useful to many FlyerTalk forum users. Such filters include price, number of stops (note that it is not possible to set a minimum number of stops) and departure/landing times.
In my opinion, the following are some of the most useful features of Google Flights and are the reason why I normally head there before heading over to ITA Matrix when I am searching for flights.
a) In the departure and arrival airport fields you can enter up to 5 airports/cities. Unlike ITA Matrix, the 5 airports/cities in the departure airport box need not all be in the same country.
b) Flicking through a calendar of the whole year. If you are looking for a cheap weekend stay at a specific location (e.g. for a cheap Short Haul Plus route for 80TPs each way) you can set the calendar to show prices for “2 day trips” and explore the whole calendar two months at a time.
c) Date grid. This offers the ability to see fares for your proposed flight dates +/- 3 days either side.
d) Price guidelines. Google Flights will sometimes give an indication of how the current flight prices for your flights compare to normal.
e) Price tracking. If you have a particular route and dates in mind, you can use Google Flights to track prices and you will receive an email alert when there has been a change in price.
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2) A
general search is the second method, where you can view a map of low fares for either given dates or the cheapest weekend, week long or 2 week flights within the next 6 months. Note that here you cannot pick a specific airline but are still able to specify the alliance. This functionality is great if you are looking for a weekend away (either fixed or flexible dates) with no specific location and more of a budget in mind.
