Next time you use Google to search for a non-stop flight, a new feature in the search results will help you find a list of destinations, durations, and airlines.
If you know where you want to go (for example, [flights from new york city to san francisco]), Google will show you how many flights there are per day, the duration, available airlines, and the ability to view a schedule of upcoming non-stop flights.
Don’t know where you want to go? A search for [flight] will show flights to possible destinations based on your current Google location if it’s a city with an airport. If you aren't in a city with an airport, you can search for [flights from + the nearest city with an airport].
More generic searches, such as [flights to las vegas] will list the airports you can take flights from to get there, and it doesn’t default to your Google location. For example, there are flights from Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco highlighted, and you can click the plus box to get many more.
Google’s new flight search feature only works with non-stop flights. So if you want a cheaper connecting flight, or if you’re looking to go to Hawaii or overseas, this feature won’t show up.
Though Google was finally cleared to buy ITA last month, Google says this tool doesn’t use ITA technology.
This feature is pretty basic and not helpful beyond getting you to an airline's website, where you then have to do a second search for the same flight.
Google trails way behind Bing Travel (powered by Kayak), which offers much more in the way of sorting features (e.g., price, airline, depart/arrive, stops and duration). Also, with Bing, there's no need to do a second search when you're taken to the airline's website.
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