Flight deals: how to recognize a good fare

Compare the price with the route's historical data

Google Flights displays, for many routes, a graph showing the price trend over previous months and indicates whether the current fare is low, average, or high compared to usual. A fare presented as a "special offer" that turns out to be in line with the historical average of the route is not a real deal: it's simply the normal price.

Read the restrictions linked to the fare

A very low fare almost always hides conditions: checked baggage excluded, inability to select a seat, changes or cancellations not allowed, flight times during less popular slots. Comparing what each fare class truly includes before deciding avoids having to pay extra charges that cancel out the initial savings.

Verify the actual promotion duration

Authentic promotions almost always have an explicit expiration date and a limited number of seats at that price. A fare presented as an offer but available unchanged for weeks, with no end date in sight, is often just a choice of how the site presents information rather than a real temporary discount.

Compare multiple booking channels

Checking the same flight on a comparison site, the airline's official website, and an online agency helps you understand if the advantage is real. The official website, in particular, does not apply the intermediation fees that some agencies add to the base price, and is also the direct contact in case of flight problems.

Before purchasing, open Google Flights' historical price graph for that route: if the proposed fare is close to the lowest prices in recent months, it's a real offer; if it's in line with the average, it probably isn't.