So you are intrested to which of the heavy weights in the flight search industry wins when it comes to head on collosion…
In this post, I have analysed both of my favourite flight search engines and jotted my thoughts, so tie your seat belts we are going for a faceoff- Google Flights Vs Skyscanner !!
Which is better, Google Flights or Skyscanner?
To answer this in one sentence will not justify the greatness of these flight search giants, so let’s break it down into multiple criterias and try to do an apple to apple comparison.
The table below does a quick comparison- Google Flights Vs Skyscanner, for details read the full post.
| Feature | Google Flights | Skyscanner |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile App | No | Yes |
| Cheap flight calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Multi city search | Yes | Yes |
| Search Anywhere | Yes | Yes |
| Flight Alert | Yes | Yes |
| Budget Airlines | No | Yes |
| Reliable | Yes | Yes |
| Price Gurantee | Yes* | No |
| Unaccompanied Minor | No | No |
Why I like Google Flights?
Google flights have the branding of one of the biggest Digital company, but that is not the only reason why i like GoogleFlights.
It is super fast to load, keeping the search and searcher intrested.
The 7 search features that it offers makes it easy for the Pro cheap flight searcher to zero down on the best flight rate while keeping it simple enough for the novice searcher so as not to overwhelm him.
The features like showing if the ticket prices are on the higher side or lower (based on historic price trend) gives confidence to the person searching before he hits the book button.
The latest on Google Flights is the price gurantee feature, that refunds the extra you paid for your flight!! (with some caveates).
What Google Flights lacks?
All is not rosey with this amazing flight search engine, following are some area where Google Flights needs to improve.
The Giant company that is the distributer of so many mobile apps via its Google Play Store, does not have an app for its own product!!
Yes, you read it correct, Google flights is not on Mobile app… it a web application!
Another area where Google Flights is lagging is it does not have cheap budget carriers like Southwest, Air China. This is a missed opportunity by the users of Google flights!
Google flights also do not show the Mistake fare (wrong entry by providers) that is also a good source to get airtickets at discounted rates!
Why I like Skyscanner?
Skyscanner has been around for a long time and is giving a tough fight to Google Flights! This itself makes it worthy enough to start liking it.
The rich flight search interface provided by Skyscanner is really awesome. It offers all the features provided by Google Flights plus it caters to budget carriers as well!
The Skyscanner mobile app is also a differentiator when compared with Google Flights.
What Skyscanner lacks?
At times, the prices listed on Skyscanner is out dated i.e once you click on it, the next screen will show a different price than the one on the first screen.
Some of the flights listed on Skyscanner may raise a doubt. Even though Skyscanner is harsh on any scam, you need to check the ratings and reviews of the OTA in case its someone you have not heard of before or is new.
FAQ:
Does Google Flights show cheaper flights compared to Skyscanner?
My experience is, different tools provide cheap flights on different days so better check multiple tools before finalizing. Having said that, Skyscanner lists some budget carriers like Southwest that are not in Google flights.
Conclusion:
Both Google Flights and Skyscanner are flight search engines, i.e it re-directs you to the OTA for bookings instead of doing booking themselves.
So which one is better? Well, my take is do not be dependant on any one tool when you are looking for cheap flights. You need to explore both, in fact few more tools before making your choice.
Having said this, these two are the must have for your flight search.