Friday, November 22, 2024

Google Flights Adds Baggage Info, More Sorting Options

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Google Flights is one of the best ways to search for flights, no matter where you’re going. This is thanks to its many filters and ability to compare pricing across multiple websites.

Now, Google has debuted new features, including seeing how much luggage is included with your ticket.

Here’s what you need to know.

Google Adds New Flights Features

Google Flights gives travelers tons of information when they’re searching, including all the usual information such as departure times, flight length, which airline is operating the flight, flight numbers, and aircraft types. But that’s not all; Google also gives you information you won’t see elsewhere, such as:

  • When you should book
  • If the price is typical, more expensive than usual, or less expensive than usual
  • Emissions
  • Leg room
  • Seat type
  • Wi-Fi availability
  • Price protection guarantee
  • Price history
  • Filters for price, bags, airlines, connection airports, duration, stops, emissions, and more

To go along with all these options, Google has also added 2 new features.

Baggage Allowance

The first shows if your ticket includes carry-ons and checked bags, as well as the number of each.

This is incredibly useful, particularly as airlines explore basic economy fares that limit passengers to carrying just a personal item.

There’s also a filter that allows you to sort out flights that don’t include luggage. The only downside to this is that Google isn’t able to show you accurate information if you have airline elite status or a co-branded airline credit card, both of which entitle you to a free checked bag.

Google Flights now shows you if a carry-on or checked bag is included in your fare. Image Credit: Google

While that would be a massive undertaking and require Google to know your credit cards and elite status, it would still be a fascinating feature to have.

Best Pricing Tab

The second feature is especially interesting for those of us who like to save money on flights. Historically, Google has always shown you the price you’d pay when booking directly with the airline.

It wasn’t until you got to the final step of the search process that you’d be able to see how much it would cost were you to book with a third party. That’s all well and good, but sometimes there are huge disparities in pricing and you’d have no way of knowing until the end of your search.

Google Flights best and cheapest flights
You can now compare pricing between “best” and “cheapest” when searching for flights with Google. Image Credit: Google

Now, the new best/cheapest tab on Google Flights lets you choose whether to look at the cost of flights that are, according to Google, best to book (usually directly with the airline) or cheapest to book (usually with a third party).


Bottom Line:

Google Flights is one of the most effective ways to search for flights. The platform offers robust tools designed to simplify the flight search process, and with the introduction of 2 new features, using the tool has become more straightforward than ever.

Final Thoughts

Google Flights has debuted 2 new features for its travel platform. The first lets you see what type of luggage is included with your ticket, while the other saves you time by allowing you to sort your flights based on the best or cheapest pricing. This is why Google Flights continues to be the most powerful flight search tool for travelers.

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