SkyScanner vs Google Flights vs Kayak: cheap flight tickets war for search engine supremacy

The new Google Flights has landed! That is the message many of you will have seen recently upon typing anything to do with flights into Google, as the mighty search engine continues its journey to becoming a major player in the travel industry.

In fact, it has more than doubled its unique monthly users from the first half of 2015 to the first half of 2017, according to travel industry market research company Phocuswright.

Although still in open beta phase, Google Flights’ new web interface for flight bookings allows travellers to check price graphs and set all kinds of preferences before funnelling business through to airlines and online travel agents. Of course, SkyScanner and Kayak also do that, but where Google Flights differs is that it integrates with other Google services.

It offers tailor-made travel guides fully integrated with Google Maps (which itself already allows hotel bookings) and if you use Gmail, not only will it will pick up previous bookings and display them in its search results, it will also put them into a new app called Google Trips.

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Until now, the main markets for Google Flights, Kayak and Skyscanner have been the US and Europe. “One reason is that flight metasearch becomes much more useful when you have lots of airlines,” says Maggie Rauch, senior director for research at Phocuswright.

“That makes metasearch a less compelling option in China, Japan, Korea, Australia, and India, except for when it comes to international flights.” However, she adds, all three flight search companies are now going after travellers in Asia-Pacific markets. “The opportunity is changing as more Asian travellers go overseas,” she says.