I Tried to Use AI to Find Cheap Flights. It Was a Bumpy Ride

Flight hunting is part of the travel adventure, but it can get worse quickly when I feel I am playing cat and mouse with Google algorithm. Log out. Turn on the VPN. Use an incognito browser window. Change between my macbook and my iPhone. These days, any strategy often falls short when it tries to “deceive” the algorithm so that the cost of flight does not increase after seeing its repeated interest in that route and those dates.

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Google Flights is my favorite reserve platform, so I asked me if an artificial intelligence chatbot could help me save money on a future flight. Could you use Google AI, Gemini, be the new most underestimated travel hack for 2025? With the price of flights these days, surely.

Gemini was launched in March 2023 (when he knew, briefly, as Bard) and is one of the largest models in the market. It is free of use if you have a Google account or a work space with enabled access to GEMINI. There is also a pay version, which is $ 20 per month, with a free two -month test.

See also: Traveler preparation verification list: easier flight tips and road trips

For me, an Australian who lives in the US. UU., The cost of flying home and back is thousands. Any savings that AI can find would make a big difference in my bank account.

How to find cheap flights with AI

With a dedicated extension of Google Flights, I expected Gemini to transport me to the best offers. I followed the indications to enable the extensions, but I could not make it work, even after rummaging in my Google administration console all afternoon.

A CNET editor was able to use this tool as expected (see screenshot below), so it is worth trying to see if it works for you.

Gemini response that shows Newark flights to Sydney

Gemini / Cnet screen capture

Annoyed by the lack of ease, I did a quick search for AI tools that could save me money in plane tickets, and in my “trips” I discovered karma, an extension of the code of the coupon of ia that could easily install.

I saw Expedia on your list of affiliated brands, so I used that travel platform to search for flights. I chose dates four months away for a hypothetical trip home to Australia. The cheapest return flight was $ 1,443. It’s not bad, but Karma made me sound with a coupon. I click on “Apply coupons”.

See also: Concerned about the expensive Christmas air rate? 5 easy tips to save money on plane tickets

I copied the code and continued in Expedia, assuming that it would apply automatically on the payment page, but there was no area to apply a code. It turns out that Karma coupons cannot be applied to all expedia purchases; Maybe I could have found a way to use one in some way, but it didn’t work for this flight option.

But for me, it is coup number two.

Back to Gemini, but this time for some tips.

I asked Gemini how AI can help me save money on flights. The answers were expected, but two words aroused my interest: “secret rates.”

Google Gemini response about the search for hidden travel offers

Gemini / Cnet screen capture

I verified the age of those two links that Gemini made reference and they were from 2018, so I replied to Gemini asking which platforms have “secret rates.”

Google Gemini response on secret rates

Gemini / Cnet screen capture

While Skiplagged sounds like an adventure itself, I am too old to fly without check-in luggage or risk that airlines are included in the blacklist. When there is only one (practical) form of entering my country (by air), the potential reward was not worth it.

It was interesting that Hopper was not mentioned in the Gemini list, although it was the source of the original “secret rates”. I had emerged in my own research, so I decided to give it a chance.

Hopper’s pricing prediction function is only available in the application. I downloaded it.

See also: Travel planning with AI: I tried it for a city that I know inside and out

Once I put on Hopper, I executed a quick search for flights on Google and found a good option for $ 1,256. Hopper’s cheapest option was $ 1,272 (for that same flight), but said he could save up to $ 199 waiting for more time before booking. I turned on the price watches notifications.

And he waited. I checked a day later and had not changed, then the next day had increased. I opened the application a few days later and again, not below.

If you have more time, Hopper could take a few weeks to identify a lower price. As always, there is no guarantee.

Strike number three.

Double Verification AI flight prices

If you are using a flight reserve platform such as Google Flights, Skyskanner or Expedia, these sites have incorporated functions. This could be enough and can use chatbots of AI in those places to obtain travel advice.

For confirmation, I checked with chatgpt. He gave me tools that I had already tried.

Chatgpt Answer a question about AI tools to save money on flights

ChatGPT/screen capture per CNET

What I discovered through ChatgPT is the new Google flight reimbursement function in the itineraries that leave the US. UU. If the price falls into a reservation (which had a price guarantee badge), it is reimbursed through the Google Pay application.

Very good.

That only feature is enough for me to stay with Google Flights, along with access to AI Chatbots advice. You can also use AI to plan a strategy to use credit card points to save on flights. However, it has been discovered that AI extracts obsolete card bonds and rewards information, so it is important to examine it before requesting a new credit card.

The verdict on the use of AI to find cheap flights

After multiple attempts to use AI to save money on flights, I unpack my bags. While I expected GEMINI Google Flights extension to be as soft as Google flight itself, I could not make it work, even with the characteristics enabled in my Google account.

Gemini also admits that he does not always do it well, so be sure to consult the details of the flight on the airline website. Given the plane tickets, they are often thousands, you do not want to risk any error.

In summary, using AI to find flight offers still has a path to go. However, I found some interesting things through AI, such as the refund function.

AI is a great thought partner, but it is not yet a reserve partner.

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