Booking Flights on Google Won't Be a Possibility in the Future

If you’re planning to travel soon, there are a lot of updates to keep up with.

Time to Book That Flight

We’ve shared a look at average flight costs to get to Disney World, an upgrade that could help you avoid flight mishaps, and even a look at increased airplane prices and what that could mean for you. Now, we’ve got an update on a flight booking feature you may have used and enjoyed in the past that will be going away.

Google has announced that it will be discontinuing its “Book on Google” option for flights. The option will be discontinued in most places outside of the U.S. on September 30th, 2022. According to Yahoo!, sourcing travel news website Skift, Google will end the feature within the U.S. sometime after March 31st, 2023.

Have you been keeping up with the travel news?

If you’re unfamiliar with it, when searching for flights on Google, people are generally presented with the option to book their flights directly with the airlines or through some travel agencies, but sometimes there’s also the option to “Book on Google.” That specific option gives people the chance to complete the transaction with the airline or travel agency while not having to leave the Google website. In those instances, Google acts as an intermediary, passing on information to the airline, and isn’t a party to the transaction.

Starting September 30th, 2022 outside the U.S. or March 31st, 2023 inside the U.S., however, that ability to book right on the Google site will go away.

Air travel isn’t always easy these days.

If you’ve already booked a flight through Book on Google or plan to book a reservation before the end date, don’t stress. In discussing the September end date, Google has already acknowledged on its website that “Reservations made before this date won’t be impacted.”

©Google

Why is the Book on Google service going away, you ask? Well, according to Yahoo!, Google has acknowledged that people would just rather book their flights directly through the airlines or with online travel agencies.

Google Flights as a whole isn’t shutting down though. Instead, the Google Flights service will continue to be operational and will let people search for flight costs and ultimately allow people to click on airline and travel agency links to book the flights they want (just as they already do for the majority of flights).

Are you planning a trip soon?

The only thing that is changing is that Google will no longer allow people to book directly on the Google website through the “Book on Google” feature.

In a statement, Google said, “Over the next 12 months, we plan to phase out the Book on Google feature for flights…We offered this functionality to give people a simpler way to buy their tickets and to help our partner airlines receive more bookings. However, we’ve found over time that people actually want to book directly on partner websites, and we always strive to meet user preferences whenever possible.”

Minnie and Mickey are ready to take you away

If you’ve really enjoyed the Book on Google option in the past (when available), be sure to use it while you still can.

Looking to book a flight soon? We’ve got all kinds of tips and tricks to help inform your booking process. You can click here to see how cut flights might make it harder to fly to Disney World this holiday season. We’ve also got a whole post about 21 things a former flight attendant NEEDS you to know, and a look at the airlines you’ll want to AVOID if you don’t want to get bumped from your flight.

Make Sure You’re Prepared for Your Next Flight

We’ll continue to keep an eye out for more travel news, so stay tuned for the latest updates!

Click here to learn about the average cost to fly to Disney World in September 2022

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WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.

Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.

Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!

Have you used Book on Google before? Tell us in the comments.