Is Google Flights screwing with me?

[ilbestro12]

So I plan to go in May 2023. I look at flights now and then. Yesterday i find a solid flight to BIQ and out of Santiago that is just a little more expensive than a return trip from Madrid.

Now I look and I cannot find those flights. And every reasonable flight to Biarritz has a 35 minute layover at Charlotte, which is nowhere near enough time for a flight transfer, domestic or international. I doubt they would hold an international flight for my late self.

What gives? Will flights stabilize closer to the summer? I feel like im taking crazy pills.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

So I plan to go in May 2023. I look at flights now and then. Yesterday i find a solid flight to BIQ and out of Santiago that is just a little more expensive than a return trip from Madrid.

Now I look and I cannot find those flights. And every reasonable flight to Biarritz has a 35 minute layover at Charlotte, which is nowhere near enough time for a flight transfer, domestic or international. I doubt they would hold an international flight for my late self.

What gives? Will flights stabilize closer to the summer? I feel like im taking crazy pills.

Look at your browsing history - can you see the page you were on yesterday? Click on it and see if you get the same results.

Sometimes I've found that you'll have built up a browsing history with some airlines (yes, Ryanair, I mean you) and you have to clear that history and start afresh. When did you last clear your browser cache?

 

[Former member 92300]

I find if I try to search more than 6 months out - sometimes the results are a bit more inconsistent. But - once it is 6 months or less - they are more consistent results. It seems to me that not all airlines sell tickets more than 6 months in advance.

But yes - also look at your browsing history from when you previously found the flight and you might find it. It is also possible that you entered the search slightly differently. I have had that happen.

 

[peregrina2000]

I also often find that the flight information changes from day to day. I’ve never figured it out. But if I were you, I would stick to the airlines websites and do searches for multi-city flights. With all the chaos, cancellations, and rescheduling going on these days, you will be much better attended to if you have booked your flights directly with the airlines. Many forum members have reported that the arlines are not as attentive to those with third party tickets like Expedia, Kayak, Priceline etc.

The best way to get a good price on a multi-city flight is to stick with the same airline alliance. From Santiago to Madrid to US, that means One World Alliance (which includes BA, American, and Iberia, among others). What I see (but don’t know for a fact) is that the main airlines into Biarritz are Easy Jet, Ryan Air and Air France. None of those is in the One World Alliance, so you would have to jump from one group to another. There have been some recent threads discussing the possible hiccups in changing from one alliance to another on the same journey.

Maybe two one ways would work best — US to Biarritz on a Sky Team Alliance member, and Santiago to US on Iberia and American.

What is your preferred routing?

 

[Former member 92300]

I also often find that the flight information changes from day to day. I’ve never figured it out. But if I were you, I would stick to the airlines websites and do searches for multi-city flights. With all the chaos, cancellations, and rescheduling going on these days, you will be much better attended to if you have booked your flights directly with the airlines. Many forum members have reported that the arlines are not as attentive to those with third party tickets like Expedia, Kayak, Priceline etc.

The nice thing about google flights though - is you can search multiple airlines via google flights - but when it comes to buying tickets - it directs you to the airline site to actually buy the tickets. It isn't like Orbitz/Expedia/Kayak/Priceline etc... it is a great search tool and then you buy tickets directly. Best of both worlds. I use them all the time and each time I have bought the tickets directly through their link to the actual airline webpage - so they give better customer service since you booked directly through the airline.

But yes - I also compare round trip flights to/from same cities, one way flights, and multi-stop flights. You never know which is going to be cheaper. Sometimes it is cheapest to do round trip or multi-stop, other times I find great deals doing separate one way tickets. Only time I had an issue with one way tickets was when COVID first started and airlines started cancelling flights and so my return trip one way ticket wasn't cancelled at the same time as my departing trip ticket. Was a problem because I chose to purchase non-refundable tickets and when my outgoing flight was cancelled I had to wait longer for my return trip to be cancelled which was nerve-wracking with regards to getting airline credits.

 

[peregrina2000]

The nice thing about google flights though - is you can search multiple airlines via google flights - but when it comes to buying tickets - it directs you to the airline site to actually buy the tickets. It isn't like Orbitz/Expedia/Kayak/Priceline etc... it

Oh, I didn’t know that! Thanks for the info. That makes it a very good search tool, IMHO.

 

[Former member 92300]

Oh, I didn’t know that! Thanks for the info. That makes it a very good search tool, IMHO.

Yeah - I don't know how they are funding the page - but perhaps they get paid if you click the link and buy a ticket? I don't know. Google is big enough that maybe their regular ad revenue pays for it. Or maybe airlines pay ad fees for them to be listed on google - since I don't think ALL airlines are listed.

 

[trecile]

Actually Google Flights does sometimes have links to third party ticket sellers, but not to the same degree as Kayak, Skyscanner, etc.

And remember that those links to third party sites on all of these platforms, Google Flights included, are paid ads by those ticket sellers.

Don't consider them to be approved or endorsed by the search sites.

 

[Former member 92300]

Actually Google Flights does sometimes have links to third party ticket sellers, but not to the same degree as Kayak, Skyscanner, etc.

And remember that those links to third party sites on all of these platforms, Google Flights included, are paid ads by those ticket sellers.

Don't consider them to be approved or endorsed by the search sites.

But even when it does - it usually asks where you want to buy tickets and I have always seen the airline website as the first option, and sometimes a 3rd party site listed as a 2nd option. And if it is say - an "American Airline" flight through an AA agreement with say "Iberian Airlines" it gives you a choice of buying through AA or Ibarian.

 

[PFarnsworth]

I've found that it's best to search for flights while "incognito" so that the airlines don't see you coming back later looking for the same route searches. I've found that prices tend to go up upon returning to search for something I've recently searched for, unless I go "incognito" first. Cookies let them know it's you coming back again.

 

[Former member 92300]

I've found that it's best to search for flights while "incognito" so that the airlines don't see you coming back later looking for the same route searches. I've found that prices tend to go up upon returning to search for something I've recently searched for, unless I go "incognito" first. Cookies let them know it's you coming back again.

Good point. I have had that happen when searching for inexpensive lodging too! The more you search, the more prices seem to creep up sometimes. Funny thing is - it doesn't ALWAYS happen - but when it does it can be pretty obvious.

 

[ilbestro12]

So I plan to go in May 2023. I look at flights now and then. Yesterday i find a solid flight to BIQ and out of Santiago that is just a little more expensive than a return trip from Madrid.

Now I look and I cannot find those flights. And every reasonable flight to Biarritz has a 35 minute layover at Charlotte, which is nowhere near enough time for a flight transfer, domestic or international. I doubt they would hold an international flight for my late self.

What gives? Will flights stabilize closer to the summer? I feel like im taking crazy p

I also often find that the flight information changes from day to day. I’ve never figured it out. But if I were you, I would stick to the airlines websites and do searches for multi-city flights. With all the chaos, cancellations, and rescheduling going on these days, you will be much better attended to if you have booked your flights directly with the airlines. Many forum members have reported that the arlines are not as attentive to those with third party tickets like Expedia, Kayak, Priceline etc.

The best way to get a good price on a multi-city flight is to stick with the same airline alliance. From Santiago to Madrid to US, that means One World Alliance (which includes BA, American, and Iberia, among others). What I see (but don’t know for a fact) is that the main airlines into Biarritz are Easy Jet, Ryan Air and Air France. None of those is in the One World Alliance, so you would have to jump from one group to another. There have been some recent threads discussing the possible hiccups in changing from one alliance to another on the same journey.

Maybe two one ways would work best — US to Biarritz on a Sky Team Alliance member, and Santiago to US on Iberia and American.

What is your preferred routing?

I also often find that the flight information changes from day to day. I’ve never figured it out. But if I were you, I would stick to the airlines websites and do searches for multi-city flights. With all the chaos, cancellations, and rescheduling going on these days, you will be much better attended to if you have booked your flights directly with the airlines. Many forum members have reported that the arlines are not as attentive to those with third party tickets like Expedia, Kayak, Priceline etc.

The best way to get a good price on a multi-city flight is to stick with the same airline alliance. From Santiago to Madrid to US, that means One World Alliance (which includes BA, American, and Iberia, among others). What I see (but don’t know for a fact) is that the main airlines into Biarritz are Easy Jet, Ryan Air and Air France. None of those is in the One World Alliance, so you would have to jump from one group to another. There have been some recent threads discussing the possible hiccups in changing from one alliance to another on the same journey.

Maybe two one ways would work best — US to Biarritz on a Sky Team Alliance member, and Santiago to US on Iberia and American.

What is your preferred routing?

Yeah I saved the itinerary. Now it is unavailable (Google flights tells you this). I think I will wait. Even the cheap flight required a return trip that takes 30 hours.

I prefer to fly into BIQ because i don't wantvto take a bunch of trains everywhere. I'm not retired so I can't spend days just enjoying travel, I need to get there and get walking to make it on time.

I can fly out of Santiago or take a train to Madrid and fly back.

Though one Delta flught just went up by $200 so maybe that is why it disappeared from my top picks.

 

[xin loi]

Just keep trying! Flight prices change hourly! I get my BEST prices on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. Flew RT out of State College , Pa to Madrid last May for $330. ALWAYS check smaller airports too as sometimes there are sales at the smaller airports and not at the larger airports. And don't forget to use KAYAK EXPLORE---NOT KAYAK! And do TRIP ALERTS on every site!--They will email you when prices drop.

 

[trecile]

Forget the silly idea about cookies on your computer causing the price to go up. This was recently discussed on another thread. @TravellingMan2022 linked to this article debunking the idea.

Forget What You've Heard: Stop Searching Incognito for Flights

You've heard it: Search incognito so airlines don't track your searches. There's just one problem: It's not true. Stop searching incognito for flights.

thriftytraveler.com

 

[Desert Bruce]

Only on my first visit to Spain did I have a round trip ticket. I found that I didn't like the pressure of having to finish my Camino by a certain day. I wait till I am a week or 10 days from Santiago, when I have a much better idea of when I will be ready to fly home, to buy the return flight.