Semantics soaring: Google’s AI Flight Deals finds flights from descriptive searches

Google has introduced Flight Deals, an AI-powered tool that helps travelers find cheap flights based on descriptive searches rather than specific destinations. The beta feature allows users to describe their ideal trip—such as “a tropical destination with snorkeling” or “a weekend countryside getaway with trail rides”—and uses AI to suggest matching flights and destinations.

How it works: Flight Deals takes a conversational approach to flight searching, letting users describe their travel preferences in natural language.
• Users can specify activities, trip duration, flight time preferences, and general location desires without naming specific destinations.
• Google’s AI processes these descriptions and suggests both popular and lesser-known destinations with available flight deals.
• The tool defaults to showing flights within the next six months if no travel dates are specified, while traditional filters like number of stops and airline preferences remain available.

What you should know: Early testing reveals mixed results, with some searches producing helpful suggestions while others fall short.
• A search for “a tropical destination with snorkeling” returned predictable but viable options like Cozumel, Mexico; Nassau, Bahamas; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
• More specific searches yielded unexpected discoveries, with “a trip to Europe with hiking” suggesting Cluj-Napoca, Romania and Ljubljana, Slovenia—cities many travelers might not have considered.
• Some searches produced unhelpful results—looking for “a tropical weekend trip that’s less than 5 hours away” from Orlando returned Miami and Key West, which may disappoint travelers hoping to leave Florida entirely.

The catch: The tool struggled with certain seasonal searches, finding “no deals” for popular but expensive requests like “trips to Japan during cherry blossom season.”

Why this matters: The feature addresses a common travel planning challenge where budget-conscious travelers want to explore new destinations but don’t know where to start looking for deals.

Availability: Google Flight Deals is rolling out in beta to users in the US and Canada over the next week, accessible through a standalone Flight Deals page or the top-left menu on Google Flights.