Category: Google Flights

Google has rolled out some cloud-side updates to their site, Google Flights.  The updates bring some clearer information about the new Basic Economy fare from United, American and Delta, as well as providing flight delay predictions based on historical data.

Basic Economy is something new for United, American, and Delta.  It is a very stripped down fare where everything is an extra charge, including bringing carry-on luggage with some of the carriers.  While great for those on a budget, these extra fees can rack up quickly if you aren’t careful.  Flights now gives you information on what is restricted when you are looking up potential flights on Basic Economy.  This is to help you avoid excess fees and to make an informed purchase.

One of the better kept secrets of services from Google is Google Flights.  The web app allows you to search for flights and find the lowest price for your travel.  Now Google has taken it a bit further by adding Machine Learning to the service.

Using Machine Learning, Google Flights will now give you trend information on flights you are searching in a new section, Flight Insights.  As the company stated in the release:

Using machine learning and statistical analysis of historical flights data, Flights displays tips under your search results, and you can scroll through them to figure out when it’s best to book flights

The new feature is great because you can see a graph that allows you to see what flight costs over a four day window.  This way, if your travel is flexible by a day or two, you could end up saving yourself hundreds of dollars on your airfare.  You will also see a notification on the Flights site if fares for the trip you are looking into are lower than normal – thus it might be the time to buy that flight.