Google Flights Will Now Tell You The Best Time To Book
Booking an airline flight can be one of the most irritating and nebulous processes out there. You have to choose between a bunch of different airlines and rates, try to find a time that fits into your schedule, and book just far enough in advance that you can clear your schedule, but not so far that you give the airline the chance to cancel it entirely.
That last factor is an unexpectedly important one, as the time of year that you book can affect what flights and times are available and how much they cost. In an effort to take some of the guesswork out of this little dance, Google Flights has added a new projection feature.
On Google's official development blog, the company announced a new upgrade to its Google Flights service, which allows users to book tickets on associated airlines. To help users decide on when they should book their flight to get the best possible rate, Google Flights will be receiving new booking insights, offering traveling suggestions on the best time of year to book a particular flight in addition to tracking ticket prices and securing pricing guarantees.
How do flight insights work?
When the upgraded insights feature is rolled out this week, a new window will appear beneath the flight selection menu in Google Flights. Depending on the date and destination you set for your prospective flight, this window will provide you with a range of the best possible dates to book that particular ticket in — and whether you're currently in the sweet spot, or potentially over-paying.
If prices on that flight are higher than usual, the feature will immediately inform you as such and suggest a better time to make your purchase, as well as estimate how much you could save by waiting.
"For example, these insights could tell you that the cheapest time to book similar trips is usually two months before departure, and you're currently in that sweet spot," James Byers, Google Flights' Group Project Manager, explains about the new feature. "Or you might learn that prices have usually dropped closer to takeoff, so you decide to wait before booking. Either way, you can make that decision with a greater sense of confidence."
Besides announcing the upgraded insights feature, the Google blog post also reiterates several features currently available in Google Flights. These features include price tracking, which allows users to save flight details and get notifications on changing rates; and price guarantees, which ensures that customers will be refunded the difference if ticket prices drop after purchase.