google-flights

Google Flights Search

Search Google Flights via agent-browser to find flight prices, schedules, and availability.

Prerequisites

Requires agent-browser CLI:

npm install -g agent-browser && agent-browser install

When to Use

• User asks to search/find/compare flights or airfare
• User wants to know flight prices between cities
• User asks about flight schedules or availability
• User wants to find the cheapest flight for specific dates
• Southwest flights: Google Flights is one of the only sources for SW cash prices. No GDS or API returns Southwest.

When NOT to Use

• Completing purchases: This skill finds flights and extracts booking links, but do not attempt to complete a purchase on a booking site.
• Hotels/rental cars: Use other tools for non-flight travel searches.
• Historical price data: Google Flights shows current prices, not historical.

Session Convention

• Economy + Business comparison (default): --session econ and --session biz
• Single cabin search: --session flights
• Interactive fallback: --session flights

Fast Path: URL-Based Search (Preferred)

Construct a URL with a natural language ?q= parameter. Loads results directly. 3 commands total.

URL Template

https://www.google.com/travel/flights?q=Flights+from+{ORIGIN}+to+{DEST}+on+{DATE}[+returning+{DATE}][+one+way][+business+class][+N+passengers][&gl=XX]

Default: Economy + Business Comparison

Run two parallel sessions (economy and business) to show the price delta:

# Launch both in parallel
agent-browser --session econ open "https://www.google.com/travel/flights?q=Flights+from+BKK+to+NRT+on+2026-03-20+returning+2026-03-27" &
agent-browser --session biz open "https://www.google.com/travel/flights?q=Flights+from+BKK+to+NRT+on+2026-03-20+returning+2026-03-27+business+class" &
wait

# Wait for both to load
agent-browser --session econ wait --load networkidle &
agent-browser --session biz wait --load networkidle &
wait

# Snapshot both
agent-browser --session econ snapshot -i
agent-browser --session biz snapshot -i

# Close biz (only needed for delta column); keep econ alive for booking links
agent-browser --session biz close

One Way

Add +one+way to the URL:

agent-browser --session flights open "https://www.google.com/travel/flights?q=Flights+from+LAX+to+LHR+on+2026-04-15+one+way"
agent-browser --session flights wait --load networkidle
agent-browser --session flights snapshot -i

What Works via URL

Feature	URL syntax	Status
Round trip	+returning+YYYY-MM-DD	Works
One way	+one+way	Works
Business class	+business+class	Works
First class	+first+class	Works
N passengers	+N+passengers	Works
Adults + children	+2+adults+1+child	Works
IATA codes	BKK, NRT, LAX	Works
City names	Bangkok, Tokyo	Works
Dates as YYYY-MM-DD	2026-03-20	Works (best)
Market/locale	&gl=TH (country code)	Works
Premium economy	+premium+economy	Fails
Multi-city	N/A	Fails

Reading Results from Snapshot

Each flight appears as a link element with a full description:

link "From 20508 Thai baht round trip total. Nonstop flight with Air Japan.
     Leaves Suvarnabhumi Airport at 12:10 AM on Friday, March 20 and arrives
     at Narita International Airport at 8:15 AM on Friday, March 20.
     Total duration 6 hr 5 min. Select flight"

Parse into a markdown table (see Output Format below).

Market Selection Strategy

Different country markets return different prices for the same route. Always try:

1. Departure country market first (&gl=US for flights from the US)
2. Destination country market (&gl=JP for flights to Japan)
3. Ask the user before trying additional markets

The &gl=XX parameter sets the market. Use ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes.

Booking Options Handoff

After presenting results, offer booking links. When the user picks a flight:

agent-browser --session econ click @eN    # Click the flight's link
agent-browser --session econ wait 3000
agent-browser --session econ snapshot -i  # Shows booking providers with prices and URLs

Output Format

Always use markdown tables for flight results.

Economy + Business comparison (default)

#	Airline	Stops	Duration	Depart	Arrive	Economy	Business	Delta
1	JAL	Nonstop	5h 55m	8:05 AM	4:00 PM	$523	$1,490	+185%
2	THAI	Nonstop	5h 50m	10:30 PM	6:20 AM+1	$628	$1,675	+166%

Economy only

#	Airline	Stops	Duration	Depart	Arrive	Price
1	JAL	Nonstop	5h 55m	8:05 AM	4:00 PM	$523

Format rules

• One row per flight
• For connections, show stop cities (e.g., "1 stop via ICN")
• No code blocks around the table
• After the table, highlight cheapest, fastest, and best value

Interactive Workflow (Fallback)

Use for multi-city, premium economy, or when the URL path fails. See the google-flights skill in ajimix/travel-hacking-toolkit for the full interactive reference with step-by-step commands for form filling, date pickers, and multi-city searches.

Key Rules

Rule	Why
Prefer URL fast path	3 commands vs 15+ interactive
wait --load networkidle	Smarter than fixed wait 5000
Use fill not type for airports	Clears existing text first
Wait 2s after typing airport codes	Autocomplete needs API roundtrip
Always CLICK suggestions, never Enter	Enter is unreliable for autocomplete
Re-snapshot after every interaction	DOM changes invalidate refs
Keep results session alive for booking links	Close biz session after capturing delta

Troubleshooting

• Consent popups: Click "Accept all" or "Reject all" in the snapshot.
• URL fast path didn't work: Fall back to interactive.
• Bot detection / CAPTCHA: Inform user. Do NOT solve CAPTCHAs.