Since October, the Google Flights search tool offers a new feature: in addition to the “Best Flights” tab, it now offers the “Cheapest Price”. The latter does not just classify flights in ascending order of price as we could already do, it goes much further: it makes it easier to find flights on third-party sites (Flight Network, Gotogate, Mytrip, etc.). ), or with low-cost companies (low cost), and also displays routes previously invisible on this search engine, with short or long stopovers.
Sometimes both tabs show the exact same flights. But often, the options offered under the latter can save you tens or even hundreds of dollars compared to what’s under the former.
Florence Lavoie, a travel and lifestyle content creator with nearly 52,000 followers on Instagram — and who has 17 flights under her belt this year — is a Google Flights regular. She finds the new function interesting, provided she is well informed about the proposed routes. “It can be a little more complicated during the trip,” she tells me from Indonesia.
I noticed this while researching a trip to South America. In this case, the savings were not attractive: barely $20 less to extend my journey by 12 hours and make three stopovers.
In other situations, however, it’s definitely worth it.
Original stops
Let’s say you want to get your skin tanned in Cancun, Mexico, during the March 2025 school break. As of this writing, under the “Best Flights” tab, there is a direct Air Canada flight available at $1,217. This route includes a five-hour overnight stopover in Toronto on the way back.
Under the “Cheapest Price” tab is an even less expensive option: a round-trip flight with Aeromexico for $685, including a brief layover in Mexico City on the way out and another eight hours on the way back. A savings of $532!
If you have the courage to make a very long layover (or several!), you can look at the flights further down the list, in a section called “Other outbound flights”. A flight to Cancun is offered at the unbeatable price of $646 with an overnight stopover in Winnipeg lasting… 16:30 hours. It’s up to you to see if it’s worth it to save just under $40.
A long layover is not negative in itself. Going out to stretch your legs in a city you’ve never visited for a few hours can enhance a travel experience. However, take into account the additional transport (and sometimes accommodation) costs that this generates.
Google Flights sometimes offers rather original (not to mention absurd) stopovers to get to your destination. For example, still to go to Cancun, a $698 flight with a stop in Winnipeg, then an overnight stopover in Calgary is displayed.
In other cases, Google Flights offers very short layovers, sometimes an hour or less. Florence Lavoie avoids going below 2 hours 30 minutes, especially in a very large airport. “I happened to have a short layover where I had to take a shuttle, get my passport stamped, go through security, etc. I had a drop of sweat on my forehead,” she says. And you run the risk that your luggage will not be transferred on time.
Autonomous matches
Google Flights sometimes shows flights marked as “stand-alone connection” or “separate tickets in the same booking.” This means that you are responsible for the correspondence. If the first flight is late and you miss the second, you will not be refunded or compensated.
During an independent connection, you also have full responsibility for your baggage, which will not be transferred from one flight to another. In the case of an international flight, you will have to enter the country, re-check your baggage and go through security checks again. You should therefore make sure you have enough time between the two flights, especially if you have to change terminals.
Be careful, because Google Flights can even offer you to change airports during a connection, several large cities have more than one. If your time is limited, this represents a risk, believes Florence Lavoie. “It’s already stressful when it’s in the same airport. » It is also necessary to calculate the transport costs between the two, often located at opposite ends of the city. “It can ultimately amount to the same as if you had paid a little more,” she emphasizes.
Great deals are nevertheless possible thanks to these independent connections. For example, for a trip to Vietnam, Google Flights offers a Montreal-Hanoi round trip with a self-connection in Vancouver for $1,647. This stopover is a little over 3.5 hours and does not require changing airports.
This flight saves $149 compared to the best flight offered, priced at $1,796.
Some downsides
Mohamed Reda Khomsi, professor of tourism at the School of Management Sciences at UQAM, remains unimpressed by this Google function. “There’s nothing new,” he explains. If you look at most other websites, like Kayak, they offer the same thing. » The latter, for example, also has a “Cheapest” tab, under which you can find its best deals.
Google is trying to catch up with its competitors in an economic context marked by inflation, according to him. “The idea is to offer something more, to keep you on the site and to have the chance to convert that time into a reservation. » On the day they are ready to buy a flight, a traveler consults up to 25 different pages to find one, according to a study by Expedia Group.
Mohamed Reda Khomsi recommends always comparing prices with other flight aggregators, such as Kayak, Skyscanner, Expedia, Booking or Hooper (a Montreal company). Some of these sites have points programs or offer perks when booking accommodation or cars, but Google Flights does not.
On the other hand, Google Flights searches many more third-party booking sites, including Expedia and Booking, but also several which are little-known and which offer advantageous rates. Before booking, look at reviews of these sites. “If there is a big difference in prices, ask yourself questions. Do I have the correct currency? Are taxes included? Is baggage included? » underlines the professor.
He prefers to turn to a good old travel agency, in particular because of the contribution to the Compensation Fund for Clients of Travel Agents (FICAV). This free financial protection for the consumer offers a guarantee in addition to that of a credit card in the event of problems.
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