Google’s New AI Flight Deals Tool Works, but Only if You’re an ‘Anywhere, Anytime’ Traveler

When Google announces a new travel feature, my inner explorer perks up. So Thursday morning, when it announced the launch next week of Flight Deals, an AI-powered tool designed to help flexible travelers find cheap airfare, I grabbed my laptop and dove in to test it out after being granted early access (especially since I’m going to have a travel-heavy end to 2025). 

The pitch is enticing: Just tell Google what kind of trip you’re looking for and its AI will sniff out deals that fit. In theory, it’s perfect for people who don’t care whether their winter getaway is in Aruba or the Canary Islands, as long as it’s sunny and the price is right. But I wanted to know if it would work just as well for people who, you know, have some idea of when and where they want to go? Or is it aimed squarely at the flexible crowd?

I spent hours testing it with all kinds of prompts, from laser-specific requests to free-spirited “just take me anywhere” queries. The result? It works if you’re cool with being super vague.

For more stories on travel and AI, I’ve also written about how to book cheap airfare on Google Flights, how to save money on airfare and if AI can help you travel more sustainably. 

Testing prompts from specific to ‘just take me anywhere’

I am well aware that Google’s Flight Deals feature is intended for “flexible” travelers. Still, I started with the kind of queries a normal traveler might type in — specific dates, cities and budgets. That’s where things were… finicky.

• Prompt 1: Tampa to Boston. Specifically, I typed, “I am looking for a flight from Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida, to Boston for the weekend of Sept. 11 through 14. Ideally, I would arrive that Thursday night after work and in the evening on Sunday.” The tool coughed up one result with a less-than-ideal time. When I clicked on the one result, I was taken to the regular Google Flights page.

From there, I tried to be more flexible with my dates and the airports.

• Prompt 2: Tampa to North Carolina (Charlotte or Raleigh), anytime in late August. Two results showed, one from each airport. A little better, but hardly a flood of deals.

Not a flood of deals, but it still gave me some options I can work with. 

Screenshot by Macy Meyer/CNET

After still not getting great results, I decided to be more flexible with dates and only be specific on price, since Google said this feature is really for travelers “whose number one goal is saving money on their next trip.”

• Prompt 3: Tampa to New York, any date, any airport, just needs to be under $150. I got a single September flight.

So far, Flight Deals wasn’t exactly making the flight-finding process easier. That’s when I decided to loosen up my criteria.

• Prompt 4: 5-day trip, sometime in winter 2026, warm and tropical, nonstop. When I hit enter, I got a note saying no results were available for my prompt. So I tried another prompt to see if the “5 days” was tripping up the search tool.

On a few searches, the tool responded with “We couldn’t match your search.”

Screenshot by Macy Meyer/CNET

• Prompt 5: Week-long trip, winter 2026, warm and tropical, nonstop. Still no results.

• Prompt 6: A week-long winter trip, warm and tropical, nonstop. Finally, six options for affordable beach escapes appeared.

I noticed that Flight Deals seems to need specific language for better results.

Screenshot by Macy Meyer/CNET

It became clear that the feature is a bit hit or miss — the more vague my prompt, the better the results. 

I also noticed that Flight Deals seems to need specific language for better results. Prompts 4 through 6 are essentially the same, but with different language. When I typed, “5-day-long trip in winter 2026 to a warm and tropical destination. Nonstop flights only,” I received no results. But when I typed, “A week-long trip during the winter to a warm and tropical destination. Nonstop flights only,” I received six deals from Tampa for a seven-day trip departing between Dec. 1 and Feb. 28. In short, you might need to mess around with your word choice to actually get results. 

How Flights Deals stacks up to Google’s AI Mode

For comparison, I took several of the same prompts to Google Flights’ AI mode, a feature that’s been around for a bit and can answer travel questions with a chat-like interface. Here’s where things got interesting since the AI mode handled specifics far better. It found options that fit my actual parameters and offered helpful context and links to booking sources. 

Flight Deals is positioned as the fun, exploratory option, but it requires a level of flexibility that even the most, well, flexible travelers don’t often have. If you truly have no plan? This is great for ideation. For anyone who already knows their destination or dates? Google’s regular Flights search will be your best bet. 

Regular Google Flights or searching for flights with Google AI Mode may give you better results. 

Screenshot by Macy Meyer/CNET

Not revolutionary, but fun if you’re chill about travel 

After hours of poking at Flight Deals, I can say this: It’s not a revolutionary travel tool. It’s basically Google Flights with a “choose your own adventure” coat of paint… and one that gives you a blank stare if you start asking for too many specifics.

If you’re the kind of traveler who says, “anywhere warm in February works for me” and is willing to leave the details to fate (or Google in this case), you might love it. But if you’ve got a wedding to attend, school break dates to work around or a preference for afternoon departures over 6 a.m. starts, you’re probably better off with the standard Google Flights search.

Think of Flight Deals like that one spontaneous friend who texts you, “Pack a bag, we’re going somewhere!” They won’t tell you where, though, and you might just end up in the Bahamas… or Buffalo. Sometimes that’s exciting, but more often than not, you’ll know when and where you’re headed when you think about booking flights. And this tool just isn’t for that purpose. 

How to use Google Flights’ new Flight Deals AI tool 

In case you want to test out Google Flights’ new AI search tool yourself when it rolls out over the next week (no specific date set), here’s how to get started:

1. Search “Google Flight Deals” in your browser or go directly to google.com/travel/flights/deals.
2. Type a prompt into the AI box. Keep it loose since you’ll get more results if you don’t lock in too many details. Example: “A week-long trip this winter to a warm, tropical destination.”
3. Browse AI-generated options. You’ll see a curated list of destinations with prices and sample dates.
4. Click through for booking. Once you see something you like, click the link to view it in regular Google Flights and complete your booking there.

For more Google features, explore how I use Google Maps for stress-free travel and the six Google AI and Lens features I’m using to plan my vacations.