Key Takeaways
- Google Flights now offers train journey alternatives, providing eco-friendly options for travelers.
- The Amtrak partnership allows for accurate information on train routes alongside flight results.
- This new feature saves time for users by displaying all necessary data for comparing options directly on Google.
Google has an assortment of services to help you plan vacations or even find good deals on tickets for train and flight journeys. Google Flights packs several other handy features like the forecasting, of when your flight tickets might be the cheapest to book. Combined with assistance from Gemini for itinerary planning, Flights has one noteworthy shortcoming it is now fixing — suggestions for alternative modes of conveyance.
When time isn’t of the essence, and you wouldn’t mind taking the scenic route to your destination, trains can be a viable alternative. In the US, Google has partnered with Amtrak to show train journey alternatives to flights on Google Flights. The partner is a government agency that operates services in all but two of the 48 contiguous states, as well as three Canadian provinces. All the trains operated by the company will directly show up in a section titled ‘Trains to consider’ when you’re looking up flight options.
Source: Amtrak
Google announced the Amtrak partnership earlier this year, but the rail operator recently shared a release stating the service is finally operational (via 9to5Google). Since the train info is populated alongside Flights results directly, Google users should see the most accurate departure times, fare info, and journey durations. Hopefully, this data will help travelers compare the flights against the train routes easily.
Slower, but eco-friendly
Trains are certainly slower than flights, but the locations of stations might be convenient for some intercity journeys, saving passengers airfare and giving them a more eco-friendly option. That said, the Amtrak partnership also helps Google display accurate information in Search results when your objective is to book a train ticket right away. Additionally, you won’t need to re-enter information when you’re redirected to the Amtrak website to complete the booking.
Google Flights users in the US can see the benefits of this new partnership right away, even if you’re booking a train journey.