What’s the story
Google has introduced a new feature on its flight booking platform, Google Flights, to help users discover the cheapest flights.
The tech giant announced on Wednesday that it’s adding a “cheapest” tab to the service.
Until now, Google Flights showed what it considered as the “best” options at the top of search results, both in terms of price and convenience.
This new option is mostly for those ready to sacrifice some convenience for lower costs.
‘Cheapest’ tab showcases lowest prices and creative options
The new “cheapest” tab on Google Flights will show the lowest prices on offer.
This could include links to third-party booking sites with lower rates than airlines themselves, or options to save money by flying from different airports in the same city for departure and arrival.
Google has noted that some of these options under the new tab are more “creative,” involving longer layovers or self-transfers where users book two connecting flights themselves.
Google demonstrates cost-saving potential of new feature
Google demonstrated the money-saving capabilities of this feature with a hypothetical flight from New York City to Vancouver.
The normal results displayed an eight-hour and 40-minute journey with a Calgary stop at $350.
But, with the “cheapest” tab, the price dropped to $284 but redirected passengers through Atlanta for a 10-hour and 53-minute flight – a $66 saving for two hours of additional travel time.
New feature aligns with holiday travel planning
Notably, the introduction of this new feature comes just in time for the festive travel planning season.
As per a recent Google study on festive travel trends, October is usually the cheapest month to book trips.
The “cheapest” tab will roll out globally over the next two weeks, giving users more options for affordable travel during this time.