Not sure if many of you have noticed or not, but after the pandemic, the flight prices have seen quite a surge. The air prices that used to be below the Rs 5,000-7,000 bracket are now touching Rs 20,000 price bracket. Finding the cheapest flight can be a headache some times, especially due to visiting so many websites, entering details, and then having to compare the prices. It seems like Google has come to our rescue.
The tech giant has unveiled a “Cheapest Flight” filter in Google Flights. This will let users find the cheapest option available on the internet. Google has stated that it will be rolling out the feature across the globe over the next two weeks.
When you use Google Flights to search for flights, the top results are typically shown based on a combination of cost and convenience. However, with the introduction of the new "Cheapest" tab, users can now easily find the lowest-priced flights for their upcoming travels. This new filter is designed for those who are open to trading some convenience for more affordable fares.
Starting this week, travelers can enter their trip details and select the "Cheapest" option to uncover additional low-cost flight options. These results, highlighted in green, may feature alternative routes such as longer layovers, self-transfers, or booking different legs of the journey through various airlines or websites.
Cost V. Convenience
This upcoming option gives travellers an easy way to check out the lowest price possible and then decide accordingly about what aspects they will compromise on for a steal deal. Google in a blog post said, “For example, there could be a third-party booking site offering a lower price than the airline itself. Or you might be able to save by flying back to a different airport that’s in the same city you departed from—like flying out of New York’s LaGuardia and returning to JFK.”
The self-transfer option, often referred to as virtual interline, typically means that passengers must check in for each flight individually, retrieve and recheck their luggage during layovers, and forfeit the usual inter-airline communication benefits.
It's important to mention that Google Flights will still provide alerts about bookings made as separate tickets at the bottom of each result card. However, for flights categorised as "self-transfer" or "separate tickets," travelers will be presented with a red warning message.