Skyscanner vs Google Flights: A Personal Comparison

In my quest to find a reasonably priced flight ticket for my mother, I initially turned to Skyscanner.

Having used Skyscanner extensively in the past, I found myself frustrated by the cluttered interface and recurring issues with the filter options.

Too often, I’d end up redirected to a travel agency only to discover that the advertised offer wasn’t available. This experience led me to explore Google Flights as an alternative.

While initially hesitant to use Google Flights due to past experiences where it didn’t outperform Skyscanner, I was pleasantly surprised this time around.

Setting up my search preferences was a breeze, thanks to its clean and straightforward interface.

So, what sets Skyscanner and Google Flights apart in terms of key features?

User Interface and Design:

Google Flights: Offers a minimalist and intuitive interface, prioritizing simplicity and speed. Integrated with Google’s search capabilities, it presents information in a clean layout.

Skyscanner: Features a user-friendly interface with various filters and options. While comprehensive, it can sometimes feel cluttered, especially for repetitive searches.

Search Options:

Google Flights: Provides powerful search options like flexible dates, price graphs, and destination exploration. Integration with Google Maps and Google Trips enhances the search experience.

Skyscanner: Offers a wide range of search options, including flexible dates and multi-city searches. Unique features like “Whole Month” and “Whole Year” searches cater to flexible travelers.

Price Comparison:

Google Flights: Utilizes vast data resources to provide competitive pricing directly within search results. Additionally, it offers price tracking and alerts.

Skyscanner: Compares prices from various travel agencies and airlines, presenting them in an easy-to-compare format. Price alerts are available for tracking fare changes.

Booking Process:

Google Flights: Allows users to book flights directly through the platform or redirects them to the airline or travel agency’s website for booking.

Skyscanner: Redirects users to the airline or travel agency’s website for booking, without handling bookings directly on its platform.

Additional Features:

Google Flights: Offers features like tracking prices for specific flights, suggesting alternative airports, and predicting flight delays.

Skyscanner: Provides additional features such as hotel and car rental comparisons, travel inspiration, and an “Everywhere” search option for flexible travelers.

Global Availability:

Google Flights: Available in numerous countries and supports multiple languages, although certain features may vary by region.

Skyscanner: Also available in many countries and supports multiple languages, providing extensive global coverage for flights and destinations.

In my personal experience, Google Flights proved to be effective in finding flights below 27 hours, filtering for one or fewer stopovers, and even switching between Economy and Business class – a feature notably absent on Skyscanner.

While some may consider these differences minor, they significantly streamline the flight search process for me, making it less frustrating and more efficient.

In conclusion, both platforms offer valuable tools for finding and booking flights, but personal preferences and specific search needs may dictate the preferred choice between Skyscanner and Google Flights.