Google Flights has introduced a new Cheapest tab. This new tab will make it much easier for you to find the lowest airfare prices.
Normally, Google shows what it considers to be the best options based on a mix of price and convenience. The new feature will forego convenience in favor of price. It will be available globally in the next two weeks and will essentially just show the cheapest and budget flights. It sounds like it’s just a “sort by, lowest price” filter that gets its own tab or other ways Google tries to save you money, but there’s a lot more to it.
The loss of convenience isn’t taken lightly. The options in the Cheapest tab could have flights with longer layovers, self-transfers, purchasing different legs of the trip through multiple airlines or booking sites, or flying into a different airport within the same city. Not all of them will be that bad, but Google is going to find the cheapest ways to fly and save money on plane tickets, regardless of how that’s done. So this isn’t just about the base price of tickets, it’s a way of flying too.
The new feature is not just designed for users who prioritize cost over convenience but also time. These extra destinations and time taken to get through different airports and flights may be cheaper, but they could take a lot longer from the first departure to the last arrival, which would mean a lot more effort.
It’s important to remember that one delayed flight could ruin the entire itinerary if Google Flights’ cheapest option involves multiple airplane transfers. However, it’s best to look through all your options, especially around the holidays when booking is a lot harder. Luckily, Google also said that October is the best time to book holiday flights, so it may be the perfect time to test this out. The change is available for some users this week but will be rolling out globally over the next two weeks.
Source: Google