Google Flights Search

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

Prerequisites

Requires agent-browser CLI:

bash
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:

bash
# 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:

bash
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:

bash
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.