We’ve had good luck with Google Flights lately. If you’ve registered for one of our hiking tours, or you’re thinking about registering but still need airline tickets, then check out Google Flights. Like all things Google, the interface is a pleasure to use.
Here’s the quick lowdown: Go to www.google.com/flights
You’ll see a map on the home screen. We love this map because it updates prices in realtime. Just hit the tiny calendar arrows and watch the prices change on demand. Be forewarned, however, a person could waste hours with this thing!
Google will choose your starting point based on your computer’s IP address, but you can change it to anything you like. Likewise, enter your destination and watch the fun begin. Entering your destination will take you to another screen with a list of fares. From here, you can sort by price, number of stops, duration, connecting airports and more. Just choose your filter from one of the drop down menus.
Want to get back to the map? No problem. Just click the upsidedown teardrop to the right of the drop down menus. You’ll see realtime prices as you zoom in.
To the right of the teardrop is a graph icon. This is a great feature for visual types and for travelers with flexible schedules. The graph shows you the lowest fares for weeks at a time. Just hover your mouse over one of the bars to see the price. It’s really easy to spot trends and/or anomolies with this thing. To change the graph, just tinker with your dates and/or the duration.
We recently purchased tickets through Google Flights and we enjoyed the experience. What we like most about Google’s service is the speed at which you can search for fares. As long as you have a decent internet connection, the days of watching the “searching for flights” spiral are over.
Have you used Google Flights recently? How was your experience? Please leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you.