Google has introduced its AI-powered ‘Flight Deals’ tool to travellers around the world, extending the feature to more than 200 countries and supporting a wide range of languages. Unlike traditional flight searches that require firm dates, destinations, and filters, this tool works by interpreting natural-language descriptions of the type of trip a person has in mind. Travellers can simply describe the vibe and purpose of their getaway (for example, a relaxing budget-friendly beach holiday) and the AI analyzes live pricing data to surface routes that match the idea while offering strong savings.
As the new version expands globally, Google is placing focus on how the tool identifies and ranks bargains. Flight Deals prioritizes percentage-based savings, meaning routes with unusually large drops in price are placed at the top of the results. And when two flights offer roughly the same percentage discount, the tool then highlights the one with the lower total fare. This helps travellers see not only what is cheap, but what represents meaningful value compared to typical pricing trends. Users in the United States and Canada also have the option to automatically filter out basic-economy tickets, which often come with stricter rules on baggage and seating. Although the tool is now widely available, the Sundar Pichai-led company still labels it as being in beta and states it intends to refine both accuracy and personalization.
Another key addition is Canvas, which is a side-panel workspace built into the firm’s new AI Mode that serves as a central hub for trip planning. The panel appears along with search results and begins making a full itinerary the moment a user starts refining their travel ideas. Canvas pulls together flight options, hotel suggestions, Maps imagery, photos and relevant review excerpts into a single, continuously evolving layout.
It seems that these recent launches come as part of a broader shift inside Google Search driven by its new AI Mode. The tech giant is also laying the groundwork for the AI to handle more practical tasks beyond simple trip inspiration. Notably, AI Mode can already assist with restaurant reservations, appointment bookings and event tickets, and the company is working with major travel partners so that flight and hotel reservations can eventually be completed directly within the AI-powered interface.
While the tech giant’s latest AI advancements can be considered a major push toward simpler, automated travel planning, they may also invite a new wave of scrutiny. Google is already facing antitrust pressure, especially in Europe under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), where regulators worry that such tightly integrated travel-planning features could give its own services an unfair advantage. And now, by linking AI and flight discovery so directly to Google Search, there is a risk that competitors (like online travel agencies and smaller aggregators) could be pushed aside, which may reduce consumer choice. Also, privacy is another issue. The tech giant treats queries made through Flight Deals like regular search history, meaning user data is stored and could be used to build detailed profiles of travel intentions.
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