Google Flights | How it Works and Tricks of the Google Cheap Flights

Google Flights is one of the best options to organize your vacations. The main function of Google Flights is to find flights at the best price. We tell you how it works and tricks of the Google cheap flights search engine.

If you are one of those who have not just arrived from a trip when you already have the next one in mind, Google Flights will be one of your best allies to organize your trips and getaways without having to pay more for your flights.

The service acts as a flight comparator based on the prices of the main airlines operating at the origin and destination airports to find the fastest and most affordable option for your flights.

Next, we will tell you how it works and some tricks of the Google cheap flight search engine so you can save on your vacation.

What is Google Flights

Google Flights or Google Flights is a Google service dedicated to finding the cheapest flights possible, taking into account your destination preferences, dates and times you want to fly.

The service is integrated into the search engine as one more Google tool, adding to well-known options such as Google Images, Google Maps or Google Shopping.

Once in the tool, you can configure your trips indicating the departure and arrival dates, dates and time and even compare the price of the flights with other options such as the train.

Google Flights includes a historical comparator that allows you to know immediately if the price of a certain flight is cheaper, in the annual average price or if, on the contrary, the price of the flight is more expensive than usual.

If you have not used this tool yet, this can be an excellent opportunity since here we give you all the keys to discover how Google Flights works and some tricks of the Google cheap flights search engine.

Enter your trip details

The first thing you need to find cheap flights with Google Flights is to enter your trip details on the Google Flights page.

• To do this, go to the main page of the service.
• In it, in a prominent way, the fields to configure the trip are shown.
• It begins by indicating if it will be a round trip, how many people will travel and in which category they will travel. Obviously, the Tourist category will be the most affordable in all cases.
• Next, indicate the airport of origin and the one of the destination to which you want to travel. Pay attention here as some cities (like London or New York) have multiple airports. Try to choose the correct airport as some are further away from urban centers than others.

Finally, all you have to do is choose the roundtrip dates of your trip and click Search to display all the flight offers.

Adjust your search data

After this first search, the available flights for those destinations and on those specific days are displayed. But it will still be necessary to choose the time and company that offers the most attractive prices.

• If you want to filter your search a little more, you can choose one of the filters that appear just below the data of your trip.
• In these filters you will be able to establish if you want direct flights or if you do not mind stopping to save some money, if you prefer to fly after a certain time, etc.
• Then, you just have to choose the option that best suits your needs in the sections Best one-way flights and Other one-way flights.
• Choose the one that best suits your price and time needs by clicking on the Select flight button.
• When displaying each flight option, the details of departure and arrival at the destination are shown. Then choose your return flight in the same way.
• Once the flights have been selected, Google Flights shows you a summary.
• If you have not been convinced by one of the flights, you can rectify it by clicking on Change flight.
• If everything is correct, proceed to book the tickets directly with the airline.
• To do this, you just have to go down a bit to the Reservation options section , and click on the Select button.
• Then, your order will be redirected to the company with which you fly so that you can formalize the payment directly with them.
• Notice that just below the Booking options section , a box appears indicating that the flights you are booking are more expensive than usual.

This has little room for solution when you are forced to travel on very specific dates with high season (such as in the middle of August, for example) but this tool will be very useful to find cheap flights with Google Flights .

Find flights at the best price

To travel cheaply, it is essential to have a certain flexibility in flight dates. Being able to vary the round trip days you get real bargains.

When you have availability of dates for your trip, you can adjust the roundtrip flights. By just changing a day before or after, the price of the flight can be reduced by up to 50%.

The best way to see this variation is with the Date Table and Price Charts tools that you will find just below your trip data. When you open the Date Table, a calendar is opened that shows the prices of the tickets that will have during a certain day of the month.

Take a look at the photo attached below and note that, in the blue box, we have a one-way flight booked on Monday, September 16, and a return flight for Thursday, September 19.

If instead of September 16, you choose the 15th, the price of the ticket would be reduced considerably, and the exact same thing would happen if you advance the return flight to September 18 since, in that case, it would be almost a third of the price initial and all you have done is advance the dates of your trip by one day.

Therefore, by having that certain flexibility when choosing the day of return, you can choose the days with the best prices to fly.

The Price Chart function works in a similar way and allows you to adjust your trip to the periods in which the flights are at the best price, but always taking into account the duration of your trip.

The fact of leaving or arriving at an airport more or less close to the city center also has a considerable influence on the price. So if you are not going to the city center anyway, but your destination is in the surroundings, it may be a good option to save some money.

Much more than cheap flights, a full-blown travel guide

Finding cheap flights is not the only function of Google Flights , it can also create routes with which to visit the most representative of each destination depending on your length of stay.

You will find the options related to the organization of the trips in the left sidebar, where the option Travel, Hotels, Flights and Explore appears.

In the Travel option , suggestions of the most popular destinations are displayed that can inspire you to set your vacation destination.

However, if you are already clear about your destination, you just have to type it in the travel search bar and Google Flights will show you all the information about your destination, activities, flight and hotel suggestions, weather information and even videos of travelers with suggestions about your destination. All that information together in one place and with a single search.

Choose your destination with Google Flights

Another of the hidden secrets of Google Flights is the possibility of choosing a destination based on its price. This feature is especially good for planning getaways and trips well in advance, but you can get really cheap flights.

• To access this function, click on the Flights section in the menu on the left.
• Just below and to the right of the configuration bar of your trip you will find the Explore destinations section and a box with a map.
• Click on the Explore destinations link or on the map itself.
• The map will indicate the main destinations near your location or the airport that you have indicated as the departure point and the prices of the flights to these destinations. These prices correspond to the best offers, but are limited to very specific dates.
• Click on any of these destinations and the side panel will show the flight details indicating the dates of the trip and the characteristics of the flight, as well as its final price.

This can be an excellent option to organize a getaway out of season without causing a great loss to your economy.