Google has been able to provide travel options from within its search facility for some time now but I never intentionally used it as I preferred tools like SkyScanner. I took a look at Google Flights recently and am beginning to revise my opinion of it.

Using the feature is simple – as with all things Google. Go to google.com/flights to try it out.

The interface is straightforward: enter your options and hit enter to see all possibilities. So far, so good.

One additional feature that I like is that the results are sorted intelligently, which is to say, it’s not just a matter of sorting by, say, price only. Think about it: the best flight option is one that combines price AND convenience; looking at the options for one of those criteria alone is not good always enough.

I also like the tips that are provided which show you that you can get a more convenient flight or a cheaper one if you shift your plans by a day or two. Sometimes you can’t, but sometimes you can do so and reap the benefits.

The feature that really blew me away and which made me an instant convert is the connection with Google Maps. If you look at the map, the main cities/airports are highlighted and after a few seconds, the cost to travel to those airports starts to appear. Rather than just see if flying to Antigua is expensive, you can now look at the entire Caribbean in one go! This way, if Antigua is too expensive but your intent was to holiday in the Caribbean then perhaps a trip to the Dutch Antilles will suit you?

I can easily see myself using this option to plan travel. For last New Year’s road trip, for instance, I might have figured out that flying to a smaller airport was cheaper or easier.

The moral of the story here is twofold:
1 – Google Flights rocks!
2 – Just because a tool wasn’t what I wanted a few years or months ago, it doesn’t mean that it won’t improve.