Flight Deals: Google’s New AI Travel Search

AI-powered search tool targets budget-conscious travelers willing to go anywhere for the right price

Scrolling through endless flight calendars burns precious hours you don’t have, but Google’s new Flight Deals cuts straight to the cheapest possibilities. This AI-powered addition to Google Flights interprets natural language requests like “week-long trip this winter to a city with great food, nonstop only” and matches them with real-time fare data from hundreds of airlines. The tool officially targets “flexible travelers” whose number one goal is saving money”—finally acknowledging that sometimes the destination matters less than the deal.

Conversational Search Meets Travel Discovery

The interface feels like texting a well-traveled friend who happens to know every airline’s pricing.

Flight Deals lives within Google Flights but operates completely differently from traditional search. Instead of selecting dates and destinations from dropdown menus, you describe your travel intentions in plain English. The AI processes these flexible criteria against live pricing data, surfacing options you might never have discovered through conventional filtering. Think of it as the travel equivalent of asking ChatGPT to plan your weekend, except with actual booking links and verified prices.

For example, typing “romantic European city break for under $800 next spring” yields specific flight options to Prague, Budapest, or Lisbon—destinations you might have overlooked while fixating on Paris or Rome prices.

Beta Launch Targets Deal Hunters

The tool debuts in the US, Canada, and India while Google refines the experience based on user feedback.

Google launched Flight Deals in beta during August 2025, positioning it squarely against competitors like Expedia’s Trip Matching and Booking.com’s expanding AI features. The timing reflects a broader industry shift toward conversational search experiences, especially as travelers embrace post-pandemic flexibility. A new filter excluding basic economy fares (currently US and Canada only) shows Google understands that “cheapest” doesn’t always mean “most miserable.”

Your original Google Flights experience remains unchanged—this is additional functionality, not a replacement. You can access Flight Deals through the top-left dropdown menu or the dedicated Flight Deals page within the platform.

Smart Limitations Keep Expectations Realistic

The tool won’t help with fixed business trips or wedding attendance, and that’s intentional.

Flight Deals explicitly serves flexible travelers, not those with predetermined plans. If you need to reach Chicago by Thursday for a work conference, stick with traditional search. The beta status also means features remain limited—some booking partners might not display identical deals, and refinements will arrive based on user feedback.

Privacy-conscious users should note that conversational queries potentially reveal more travel preferences than traditional searches. Google’s keeping expectations measured while iterating toward a more comprehensive experience that balances AI convenience with booking reliability.

Your travel planning just got more conversational and potentially more adventurous. Whether Flight Deals transforms spontaneous travel or becomes another forgotten Google experiment depends on how well it balances discovery with genuine savings.