Accessing Google At Airports: Tips And Tricks

Google Flights is a powerful tool for finding cheap flights, with features that help users zero in on the best prices for their flights. It offers a wide range of filters, such as cabin class, airline, and number of stops, to narrow down flight options and find the most suitable choice. Users can also compare prices for alternative airports and browse flexible travel dates to find the lowest fares. Additionally, Google Flights allows booking with more than 300 airline and online travel agency partners, providing a comprehensive platform for travellers.

Using Google Flights to find the best deals

Google Flights is a powerful tool to find the best deals on flights. It is incredibly user-friendly and offers tons of features to help you find the best prices for your flights. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of Google Flights:

• Flexible Date Searches: Google Flights allows you to search for flights within a date range, making it easy to find the cheapest days to fly. You can also use the "Date Grid" and "Price Graph" features to visualize prices for different trip lengths and across various months.
• Multiple Airport Search: You can search for up to seven departure and destination airports simultaneously. This increases your chances of finding cheaper routes and gives you more flexibility in your travel plans.
• Price Tracking: Google Flights lets you track prices for your desired flights and sends notifications when fares change. This helps you make informed decisions about when to book.
• Real-time Results: Google Flights updates fares in real time, so you can book the best price before it's gone.
• Calendar-based Fare View: The calendar view shows you the cheapest days to fly over the next 12 months, making it easy to plan your trip accordingly.
• Explore Map: The Explore Map feature lets you search for flights from your home airport to destinations worldwide within your budget. You can also use filters to narrow down your search by date, trip length, and price.
• Advanced Filters: Google Flights offers various advanced filters to customize your search, including carrier, baggage allowance, price, time of travel, emissions, connecting airports, flight class, and more.
• Multi-city Tickets: Google Flights allows you to book multi-city or open-jaw tickets, bundling multiple legs of your trip into a single search, which can often result in significant savings.
• Legroom for Google Flights Extension: This Chrome extension shows you exactly how much legroom you'll have on each flight, helping you choose a comfortable option, especially for long-haul journeys.
• Travel Planner: The Travel Planner feature helps you organize your trip by syncing flight details, tracking price changes, and offering personalized recommendations based on your search history.

By utilizing these features, you can effectively use Google Flights to find the best deals and plan your trip efficiently.

Booking flights directly with airlines

When it comes to booking flights, you can either book through an online travel agency (OTA) or directly with the airline. While OTAs used to dominate the airfare-booking business, the trend has been moving towards booking directly with airlines.

Advantages of Booking Directly with Airlines

Booking directly through the airline is almost always more convenient. Airlines sometimes offer special perks when you book directly through them, especially if you belong to their rewards program. For example, loyal customers who book through the airline’s website might get extra miles, free wifi, food and drink credits, airport lounge access, or priority boarding. If you have their credit card, you might earn benefits such as statement credits or cashback when using the card to book.

Booking directly with the airline also gives you more leverage when it comes to delays, booking changes, and cancellations. Many airlines have a ‘best rate guarantee’ or ‘lowest price guarantee’, and some will match the difference and provide a travel voucher. Additionally, some airlines will refund the difference or provide credit towards future airfare if the price changes after you buy your ticket.

Disadvantages of Booking Directly with Airlines

Booking through an OTA may be beneficial if you’re trying to book a complicated itinerary with multiple flight combinations. One airline may not offer certain route combinations that are available on an OTA, particularly for multi-stop international trips. It’s also convenient when trying to book flight and hotel combinations.

Booking Platforms

If you do decide to book through an OTA, consider using an aggregator such as Google Flights, Skyscanner, Kayak, or Momondo, which compare fares from OTAs. These platforms allow you to compare prices from over 1,200 airlines and travel agents to find the best deal. They also offer features such as price alerts and flexible date searches to help you find the cheapest flights.

Finding alternative airports

When it comes to finding alternative airports, there are a few key strategies to consider. Firstly, it's important to remember that smaller airports located near major cities can often provide significant benefits. These alternative airports may be cheaper, easier to navigate, and have shorter lines for security and other services. For example, instead of flying into LAX, you could opt for Hollywood-Burbank Airport, which offers affordable parking, easy shuttle access, and a nearby Metrolink Station. Similarly, Chicago Midway International Airport serves as a good alternative to Chicago O'Hare, especially for domestic flights, with shorter lines and convenient access to downtown Chicago.

Another strategy is to utilise online tools and search engines. Google Flights allows you to search for flights using multiple airport options. You can enter multiple airports separated by commas or click on the location icon to find nearby airports. Additionally, websites like Cheapflights.com and LugLess.com offer tips and recommendations for finding and utilising alternative airports to save money and time. These websites often provide insights into specific alternative airports for popular destinations, such as Providence near Boston and Long Beach near Los Angeles.

When considering alternative airports, it's important to factor in any additional transportation requirements. In some cases, alternative airports may be located on an island or in another country, necessitating additional travel arrangements. Nevertheless, the potential savings and convenience of using alternative airports can make them a worthwhile option, especially when travelling as a family or large group.

Using Google Maps to locate airports

Google Maps can be used to locate airports and even provide directions inside an airport. To locate an airport, simply search for the airport's name or code in the Google Maps app or website. You can also search for airports near a specific location by entering the location followed by the word "airport".

If you're looking for multiple airports in the same region, you can enter their codes separated by commas. Google Maps will then display all the airports that match your search criteria.

Google Maps also has a feature called Live View, which uses augmented reality and artificial intelligence to provide directions inside airports and other large indoor locations. Live View can help you locate exits, restrooms, ATMs, gates, and other points of interest within the airport. However, as of 2021, this feature was only available in select cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and select airports in Tokyo and Zurich, with more locations to be added in the future.

In addition to Google Maps, there are third-party apps and websites that can help you locate airports. For example, the InMapz Airports Maps app provides detailed maps and GPS positioning for hundreds of international airports, making it easy to find gates, facilities, food options, and more. Other sources, such as SkyVector, FltPlan.com, and OurAirports, also offer airport mapping services.

Using Google Earth's hidden flight simulator

Google Earth has a hidden flight simulator feature that allows you to explore the world from the cockpit of an airplane. Here's how to access it:

Requirements:

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

• Google Earth or Google Earth Pro installed on your Mac, Windows, or Linux computer. Note that the feature is not compatible with the browser or online versions of Google Earth.
• A joystick for optimal flight control. If you don't have one, a mouse and keyboard can be used instead.

Launching the Flight Simulator:

• Open Google Earth on your computer.
• Navigate to the menu and click on "Tools" > "Enter Flight Simulator". Alternatively, use the following keyboard shortcuts:
• Windows: Press Ctrl + Alt + A
• Mac: Press Cmd + Option + A

Choosing Your Aircraft and Starting Location:

Once you've entered the flight simulator, you'll need to select your aircraft and starting location:

• Aircraft: Choose between the F-16 jet and the SR22 propeller plane. The SR22 is recommended for beginners, while the F-16 is for more skilled pilots.
• Starting Location: Pick a starting location from a list of airports or select your current location. If you've used the flight simulator before, you can also resume from your last ending location.

Controls:

You can use a joystick or a mouse and keyboard to control your aircraft:

• Joystick: Press the joystick forward to taxi down the runway and pick up speed. Once you're moving quickly, pull the joystick back slightly to lift off. Center the joystick when your plane reaches flight altitude and the wings have leveled off. Make small movements to change direction, make course corrections, or bank left or right.
• Mouse and Keyboard: Press Page Up to increase thrust and taxi down the runway. Move the mouse slightly down, and when you're going fast enough, your plane will take off. Center the mouse on your screen when your plane reaches flight altitude and the wings have leveled off. Use the arrow keys to change direction or bank left or right, making small corrections for the best results.

Heads-Up Display (HUD):

As you fly, a heads-up display will show information such as your current speed, direction, altitude, and more. You can also press Ctrl + H (Windows and Linux) or refer to the keyboard shortcuts for in-flight assistance.

Exiting the Flight Simulator:

When you're ready to end your flight, click "Exit Flight Simulator" in the upper right corner of the screen or use the following keyboard shortcuts:

• Windows: Press Ctrl + Alt + A
• Mac: Press Cmd + Option + A

Frequently asked questions