Before thinking about reserving your next trip, you must start looking for flights. With so many options and airlines, reducing the desired routes can be complicated. This is where search engines such as Google flights come into play by providing a wide range of options, which can filter for price, stops, times and other factors, and comparisons in real time. To make the most of this practice search tool, we take advantage of several experts, including a Google employee, to share their expert ideas to help you save.

Google flight search features

A main reason why Google Flights is so accessible is its user experience, which is simple, clean and reflects its general search product, explains that going (previously the cheap scott flights) Expert in Travel expert Katy Nastro. In other words, “they do not bomb you too many filtering options from the first moment, making you start the search for relatively perfect trips.”

Look for

This easy -to -use basic tool allows travelers to search round trips, unidirectional or multiple cities by entering their departure and destination cities along with their desired travel dates. From there, a list of flights will be complicated. Alternatively, if you are not tied to specific dates, users can select travel dates with a calendar view that shows the cheapest days. Similarly, there is also the option to search for flights anywhere in the world.

Explore

Are you looking to get the best air ticket offer? Enter the Explore tool, which allows users to look for “all kinds of dates and destination combinations on a map,” says Kyle Maltz, Dollar Director of Dollar Flight Club. “What is great is that you do not even need to put in a destination and you can only openly explore the offers that leave their origin airport.” The same goes for dates: users can filter for specific dates or choose the “flexible” option. You can easily access the Explore function: Click the Explore button that will go to the exploration map.

Grid dated and graphic of prices

“This is probably the most popular feature,” says Maltz. According to the professional, “it allows you to look at a calendar that shows prices for each day for your planned trip, so you can explore alternative output and return options to find the best prices.” For example, the date grid shows how prices can change even with the slightest adjustments on their output and/or return dates. As the name implies, this is shown in an easy grid format. Meanwhile, the price chart is, guessed it, in the form of a graph and shows how prices can change for several months. You can find these options on the search page.

Perspectives

To make sure you are making an informed decision, Google Flights offers real -time information to determine if a rate is lower or higher than usual, provided there is data. It will also tell you how much are the less expensive flight options for similar trips. In some cases, Google flights will even tell you when the cheapest moment to book is based on past data if available. (If there are no enough data for your desired route, you will not see this).

Price alerts

Flight price alerts provide the option to “monitor specific routes to receive notifications when they have large price drops,” says Maltz. Once you set up pricing alerts by email, you can visit the track of tracked flights to monitor prices whenever you want, but more about that below.

Costaña ‘cheaper’

“In October 2024, we launched a new characteristic of money savings on Google Flights called” The cheapest tab, “says Wishy Arora, Group Product Manager for Google Search. To use this new function, enter the details of your trip and touch the “cheaper” button to show additional flight options with lower prices.

How to look for flights

If you have already used Google’s standard search engine, you will find Google flights are very easy to navigate. “Just as he writes his consultation at Google’s search bar, his search for Google flights begins very similar,” says Nastro. You can search for flights to and from up to seven airports at the same time. Alternatively, if it is flexible on dates or destinations, you can simply enter your departure city to be directed to the exploration map, where you can navigate in real time rates to several places. In addition, remember to select the type of travel (route trip, unidirectional or multiple cities) along with how many travelers, the type of rate and dates.

In addition, as mentioned above in this article, it can filter results based on factors such as price, airline, duration and stops. You can also establish a price range to ensure not exceeding the budget.

One thing to consider: Google Flights is a flight search engine, not an online travel agency, so after finding a flight that works for you, you will have to reserve it directly with the airline OA through a third -party reserve site.

How to establish price alerts and track flight prices

Configuring price alerts on Google flights is simple. “After entering your route and travel dates, click on the ‘Monitoring Prices’ button,” says Maltz. It will be alerted when prices change for your desired flight.

Keep in mind that because Google Flights currently does not have an application, you must start in your Google account so that the alert is sent to your email.

More tips for using Google flights

Take the most of Google flights and their innovative characteristics with these expert advice.

Customize your searches.

Google Flights presents more than 300 airlines and online travel agencies sites, which means that you have all the options at your fingertips. On the other hand, that could lead to too many options, which can overwhelm it. However, “a great aspect of Google Flights is the ability to customize its searches for what you are looking for,” explains Nastro.

Explore multiple airports and routes.

“Two Google flight search features that we love are the ability to look for in multiple combinations of airports in a single search, up to seven output and arrival airports, and the view of the map, which provides a clear visual of the options that may not have been initially considered,” says Nastro. She continues, saying Travel + Leisure“With the multi -airport search functionality, more than one routing option is presented, allowing you to see what other options can be available at a better price.”

To explore airports and alternative routes on Google flights, enter multiple airports (separated by commas) in the output and/or destination fields or use the Explore tool to see the prices of flights to several destinations on a map.

Reserve directly through the airline.

The reserve is recommended directly with the airline for easier changes, cancellations and reimbursements, since it will not need to pass any third parties, which can have long waiting times or a limited customer service. Fortunately, “the Google Flightts flight results tool always provides a direct reserve link and alternative reserve options to optimize its reserve process,” says Maltz.

Be flexible with dates and destinations.

For optimal savings, use the schedule of the calendar view to see if there is an output option or cheaper return date. The same goes for destinations: use the search tool anywhere to explore a wide range of affordable travel options and discover economic destinations that have not considered.

Consider round trip flights.

“Sometimes,” says Maltz, “reserving two unidirectional trips can help you save a substantial amount of money.” With this in mind, to facilitate the flight search process, it advises travelers to wear Google flights to quickly compare the options and experiment with different combinations.

Filter smart, not harder.

“A feature that many people overlook is how to retain filters when navigating between the views,” says Nastro. For example, after selecting a tariff in the map view, you can click to see all the options available for that route. “However,” she says, “when you start filtering the results and decide that you would like to return to the map, you would lose all the preferences you just set up, returning to a blank board.” To avoid this, “just go to the picture ‘Where’, write the region or the city again, and will return to the map with its still intact filters.”

Be careful when using the “cheaper” tab.

Many of the options in this tab come with disadvantages, such as long scales, self-transference rates (where he reserves separate flights, often with different airlines, and are responsible for transferring themselves and their luggage, potentially recruit the bags or cross safety again), or that needs to buy different legs of the trip through multiple airlines or reserve sites.

Change the currency.

“Google flights can be used from anywhere, regardless of whether you travel inside or outside the country,” says Nastro. “A search engine function that makes it universally attractive is that it can restore the currency to anyone that is its own country when it is abroad, VPN is not needed.”