Wouldn’t it be nice to know you could savor time before a flight just a bit longer? After all – your flight is already two hours delayed – the airline just hasn’t let you know! Airlines are often the last ones to tell passengers about delayed flights, but now it doesn’t even matter. Smart, tech based solutions now inform passengers of delays far before airlines – and Google Flights is capitalizing on this information revolution.
Who
Google Flights is the amongst the easiest and best ways to book flights and check the status of any flight. The service is based on the powerful tools of the ITA Matrix, a revolutionary airline software – simplifying things while still retaining the amazing power. If you use GMail or Google Search, you can also check the status of any flight by simply typing the airline and flight number. We even have a few nifty tricks to always get the best prices using Google Flights. But now they’re offering something very new and even more exciting.
What
Google Flights is using tools such as radar and historical data to estimate flight delays, potentially long before you hear about them anywhere else. That’s right – if you type something like DL152 into Google search or it comes up from your synced Google account, you may find that the flight will be delayed at least two hours, far before the airline chimes in. Google Flights will only offer this information if it’s 80% sure, at the very minimum. We’re willing to bet Google’s 80% is pretty darn good.
How
It’s fairly simple really. Most flights are dependent on another plane arriving. Google can see if the plane has left, and if so, if it’s on time. It can also see if weather is affecting the airport, and what the average delay is for all aircraft. If it hasn’t it can begin to estimate how long it will delay the flight that’s waiting on the “inbound” aircraft. Google does of course suggest checking directly with the airline, and urges caution in – but this is a big game changer.
When
This is a thing of the now! If you’re a Gmail user, booked with Google Flights or search the flight number of an upcoming flight – Google will let you know the deal. This is particularly easy for Android users. Flight delays can change by the minute, so it’s always smart to keep monitoring the situation. For example – fog can clear quickly, suddenly turning lengthy delays into short delays. Bottom line: use this info, but don’t get too relaxed. Time is money, and it’s nice to see Google make a push to save passengers a bit of both!
Why
Google appears to be taking the agony out of travel, one feature at a time. The flight app recently announced tools to explain the perks and pitfalls of new “basic economy” fares, which limit what airline passengers can bring on board – and when they can board. Google Flights also offers free price trackers, arguably the best tool for saving money on any flight – worldwide. With the new addition of predictive delay information, there’s a whole lot to love.
