Google refines flight and hotel searches to show cheapest options

Google has launched new price-saving features to their flight and hotel tracking tools, in yet another salvo against their traditional online travel rivals. Along with the flight search aggregator which lists a range of airfares and flight possibilities, Google Flight searches will now yield a calendar view of the cheapest and most expensive dates for flying. 

Cheapest airfares are highlighted in green, and the most expensive prices are in red. Tapping on the "dates" tab will open up flight prices for similar dates, while a price graph will also reveal how airfare varies over time. Third-party travel sites like Orbitz and Kayak offer similar features, as do airline websites. 

The new flights feature is now available on mobile and rolls out to desktop later this year. 

The same price-saving tool is also available for hotels. Users will now see the nightly rate in calendar view and be able to track price trends in graph form. For more savings, the app will also suggest alternate airports that can shave 25 percent off their airfare. For example, travellers flying out of New York City may not be aware that they have 10 major airports within three hours of the city. 

Like Booking.com and Hotels.com, hotel prices will also appear on an interactive map, allowing users to identify the best areas for their budget and itinerary needs.