There’s a reason why so many generative AI product demos involve having a chatbot deal with travel details for the user’s next trip. Many people routinely travel for work, and most of us plan vacations online long before we go on holiday. That’s where AI chatbots can come in handy, as they can automate the search process and free up our time. Just give ChatGPT a prompt or tell Gemini what you want for your next trip, and the chatbots can provide fast assistance. Some AIs even come with agent abilities that let them make reservations on your behalf.
But what if instead of going to ChatGPT or Gemini with your travel searches, you used a Google Flights-related service and asked it in natural language to find flight deals for you to a specific destination, or even surprise you with destination suggestions? Google unveiled such a feature on Thursday, and many are already looking forward to using Flight Deals when planning their next trip. The AI feature might be especially useful in a world where airlines use generative AI to profit from dynamic prices, even though Google Flights already has a feature to find the most budget-friendly trips.
Google Flights will still work as a standalone app that can help you find cheaper flights to your next destination. You won’t have to rely on the new AI capabilities in Flight Deals for that. After all, the AI-infused Flight Deals product will be just a beta test available to users in three markets: the U.S., Canada, and India, initially. It’s unclear when Flight Deals will roll out more broadly.
How Flight Deals works in Google Flights
“Flight Deals is designed for flexible travelers whose number one goal is saving money on their next trip,” Google explained in a blog post. “Instead of playing with different dates, destinations, and filters to uncover the best deals, you can just describe when, where, and how you’d like to travel — as though you’re talking to a friend — and Flight Deals will take care of the rest.”
The new Flight Deals service will let you input complex phrases in the search field similar to what you’d tell an AI chatbot. Google offered the following Flight Deals search examples in the blog: “Week-long trip this winter to a city with great food, nonstop only” and “10-day ski trip to a world-class resort with fresh powder.” You can type any instruction in the search bar, and the AI will attempt to surface relevant results. Google said that Flight Deals uses “advanced AI” to understand what you’re looking for and identify destinations. It also connects directly to the Google Flights data for real-time information related to their searches.
Google will roll out the Flight Deals feature over the next week. Users in the U.S., Canada, and India will be able to use Flight Deals in beta without having to opt into any AI experiment. The feature will be available on a separate Flight Deals page outside of the regular Google Flights experience. You’ll also be able to go to Flight Deals from the top-left Google Flights menu.
