Everyone’s favorite search tool just got a major upgrade — including several new features that will simplify the process of finding the best deals.
Rolled out to select users overnight, Google Flights has added a new “best vs. cheapest” tag and the ability to book round-trip flights from different airports within a metropolitan area. Keep reading for a closer look at these exciting new Google Flights enhancements.
Google Flights Adds New Features
Overnight, Southwest flight results became visible on Google Flights.
Along with this major change, there are a few additional features that have been added, as first discovered by Upgraded Points team members. However, they don’t seem to be available on all accounts just yet, but it’s a telling sign that the upgrades should be coming to all users very soon.
Best vs. Cheapest Fares
Most travelers know that there are many factors to consider when finding the cheapest flight. For instance, it’s not worth your time and money to book a 1-stop flight to save a mere $20 when you could book a nonstop flight for only slightly more.
That’s why Google Flights has rolled out a “Best vs. Cheapest” tag, which allows you to see flights based on price and convenience — or, if you prefer, results purely based on price.
This new feature can be helpful for those who live near smaller airports and need to connect through a major hub first. The new “Best” tag will allow you to see flights that minimize long layovers and for a reasonable price.
Hot Tip:
Notice how our Google Flights screenshot also displays the price of the flight in points and miles. That’s because we’ve downloaded a free browser extension known as Points Path, which allows you to see how much a given flight will cost using miles.
Book Nearby Airports on the Same Itinerary
Here at Upgraded Points, we often prefer searching for 2 one-way tickets rather than looking up round-trip flights. Sometimes, you can find significant savings from booking 2 different airlines — or even flying from 2 different airports.
Google Flights has made that latter process so much easier with this new feature. Let’s take, for example, a traveler looking to book a round-trip ticket from New York to Chicago. On Google Flights, they may select a flight that departs out of LaGuardia.
However, for the trip back home, they can now see search results for other New York City-area airports, as seen in the screenshot below.
The flight search result is tagged with a warning that says, “Returning to a different airport.” But this new search feature can help you find a great flight deal by booking 2 different airports on 1 itinerary.
Final Thoughts
Head over to Google Flights to see if it has updated to display these new game-changing features. While they’re not available to everyone yet, some of our staffers have been lucky to see these new tools rolled out to their Google Flights accounts already.