Google is king when it comes to the Internet and their latest innovation in android software showcases why. Its programs, including Maps and Google Flights, have recently received a welcomed face lift.
The power of Google Flights is similar, yet superior to, the technology used by leading travel search engines, Orbitz and Kayak. Recent updates to an already stable system have added new features to the online booking service that can be well utilized by many would-be travelers.
For example, if you can’t decide where to travel, simply Google the general region to get an entire detailed map with names, prices, and other pertinent information to plan a trip. This makes price comparison in a specific area very user friendly and painless. Filtering options are also available to narrow down trip specifics and are just as easy to use as any Google map feature.
For those that want a more automated approach, there is an “I’m Feeling Lucky” option similar to the one found on the original search engine. What this will do is allow Google to pick a destination from your search history, combined with what’s considered currently hot destinations.
Google also has a “sort by price” option, just like Priceline, in addition to a handy feature that highlights the best deal based on a variety of circumstances, price being first. The aforementioned “I’m Feeling Lucky” feature instantly shows you when flights are cheapest. In comparison to other online booking services with the same algorithm, Google Flights uses less of a promotional approach and actually highlights the true best deal.
Furthermore, with the calendar view, there are more ways to look at your trip from a price standpoint, with the cheapest days showing up as green. There is also a graph on the screen that gives an estimate of how prices will fluctuate over a certain time period. Thus, if flexibility is a possibility, a notification will tell you how much money you can save if you’re willing to fly at a different date or from a different departure airport.
Once the planning portion of the trip is complete, the itinerary saving option will save all the changes. This feature goes hand in hand with the Google Now app that tracks pricing on your phone in order to see if there are big fluctuations or drops in prices. If so, users are emailed, allowing for maximum savings.
With such impressive features, Google Flights is definitely a top dog in the online booking service industry, rivaling companies like Expedia, Priceline, Orbitz and even Microsoft’s Bing. Over time, more features will be added to make it an even heftier product than it already is. The 700 million dollar acquisition of ITA Software in order to help build this final product has proved beneficial for not only Google, but for cost conscious consumers worldwide.
