How to find cheap flights, from the head of Google Flights
How to find cheap flights, from the head of Google Flights
By Michael Grothaus | Published: 2025-10-25 09:00:00 | Source: Fast Company – technology
Google Flights is one of the most popular flight aggregators on the web. The site allows users to search millions of flights to find the best routes and prices that meet their needs. It’s no surprise that millions of people use Google Flights to find the best deals on holiday tickets. The search for cheap flights has also led to many nuggets of so-called conventional wisdom that, if followed, should help you find the cheapest prices.
But with the holidays quickly approaching and finding the best deals on flights top of mind for millions of Americans, I wanted to find out if these bits of conventional wisdom are actually true — especially when it comes to Google Flights. So, I went straight to the source and asked James Byers, product group manager at Google Search, who leads the Google Flights team and development of the company’s other travel products in search.
Claim #1: Clearing cookies or using incognito mode will help you find cheaper prices
The idea behind this claim is that airlines and flight aggregators use cookies on your computer to track how many times you have visited a website to search for tickets. The same user returning repeatedly to a site indicates that he or she may be preparing to purchase tickets, so airlines or site operators raise prices. To get around this supposed tactic, conventional wisdom says to clear your browser’s cookies or just use incognito mode when shopping for tickets.
But Byers says that when it comes to Google Flights, that’s a myth.
“Whether you set cookies or go incognito, it doesn’t make any difference in Google Flights. You see the same results as everyone else,” Byers says. But he also understands why people believe this.
He points out that because of the networked nature of the aviation ecosystem, there are trillions (yes, with a “T”) of potential flight combinations that anyone can take, and a price change on just one flight, say, departing from Paris, can lead to price changes on seemingly unrelated flights.
Byers says these price changes can happen “astonishingly quickly” — within seconds — and the rapid nature of these price changes can make people think that the price changes they see when they return to a ticketing site, even a few minutes after their first visit, were to intentionally target them, when in fact they are not.
Claim #2: Using a VPN will help you find cheaper rates
Other conventional wisdom is that, depending on your physical location, you should use a VPN when shopping for flights. This is because airlines sometimes offer the same flight at different prices depending on where you are in the world
If you’re in a country with a relatively high GDP, the trip you want might be listed at $1,000. But those who live in countries with low GDP may see cheaper prices for the same flight. In short, airlines believe that people in wealthier countries will be able to pay more for the same flight than people in developing countries.
Byers says this isn’t just a myth — but a VPN may not be that useful after all. He points out that airlines tend to offer different prices based on the country you’re buying a ticket from, so setting your VPN to show you’re in a different country may help you see lower prices initially.
However, this tactic often fails because “usually, when you go to book that flight, you also need the billing address and payment method, or credit card, or some other payment method in that country.”
If you’re not using an authentic payment method in that country, you’re unlikely to get the local fare. Ultimately, Byers says, VPN hacking is “not a strategy we recommend.”
Claim #3: Book your flight tickets on Tuesday to get the cheapest prices
This is perhaps the oldest piece of conventional wisdom. The idea is that airlines generally offer the lowest prices on Tuesdays, so if you buy your ticket on that day of the week, it will be cheaper than if you bought it on any of the other six days.
Surprisingly, Byers says Google data backs this up. But there is a catch.
“Tuesdays are a little cheaper, but it’s 1.3% less,” Byers says. Compared to Sunday, which is the most expensive day
What that means is that if you find the perfect Sunday ride, you will find it He can “Wait until Tuesday to see if the price drops — but even if it does, expect to see a savings of only about 1.3% at most. That’s less than seven dollars for a $500 ticket. And if you wait until Tuesday to get that potential discount, the ticket you want may be canceled by then.”
“The difference is so small that we recommend just seeing the price (that you like).” . . “You should (grab it) no matter what day you book it,” Byers advises.
When you can actually find the best prices for holiday flights, according to Google Flights
After examining conventional wisdom, I asked Byers if he had any tips for finding cheap vacation fares, based on Google Flights’ rich data set. Surprisingly, he told me that even though the holiday is only a couple of months away, now is a good time to buy your tickets.
“We have about 40 days until Thanksgiving,” Byers noted when I interviewed him on October 17. “I think we have about 70 days until Christmas. Believe it or not, we are about to reach the point where prices are at historic lows.”
For Thanksgiving, Byers says, the best place to find the lowest prices is 35 days before the holiday, which sets the key purchasing date as October 24 this year. But he notes that there is some room there, which includes “between about 24 and 59 days” before Thanksgiving. “Once you get past that window, prices can rise quickly,” he says.
As for Christmas and the end-of-year holidays, Byers says the peak time to buy your tickets is “about 50 days in advance.” This is the lowest, based on our data
The head of Google Flights had two other suggestions for finding great flight prices year-round. The first is that Set Google Flight price alerts. “When we tell you it’s a great price, get it,” he says. “we.” Get some great data and AI behind it to give you confidence that it’s time to book
Second: to be flexible. The more wiggle room you have regarding dates, times and destinations, the better deals you’re likely to find. “Flexibility is always the name of the game, if you have it.”
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(tags for translation) Airline tickets
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