Google pushes AI into flight offers as antitrust scrutiny, competitors warmth up

Google on Thursday announced a new AI-powered search tool to help travelers find flight deals — even as regulators continue to question whether the search giant’s dominance in travel discovery stifles competition.

Called Flight Deals, the new tool is available within Google Flights and is designed to help “flexible travelers” find cheaper fares. Users can type natural language queries into a search bar — describing how and when they want to travel — and the AI surfaces matching options.

These queries can be like “week-long trip this winter to a city with great food, nonstop only” or “10-day ski trip to a world-class resort with fresh powder,” Google said in a blog post.

Google confirmed to TechCrunch that Flight Deals uses a custom version of Gemini 2.5. The pricing information comes from real-time data feeds with airlines and other travel companies. The prices shown in Flight Deals match those in existing Google Flights preferences, though, it uses AI to parse natural language queries and surface matching destinations, the company said.

The tool ranks results based on the percentage of savings, with the highest savings appearing first, the company stated. If the savings percentages are equal, the lower absolute price is shown first. Deals without a savings badge are ranked by the lowest price, the company said.

Because flight prices change frequently, Google told TechCrunch that the ranking and availability of deals on the tool may vary.

Regulators, including the European Commission, are currently investigating how Google may be favoring its own search products — including Google Flights — in ways that harm competition. EU regulators are eyeing Google for enforcement under the Digital Markets Act, aiming to rein in the power of major tech platforms. In response, the Alphabet-owned unit is reportedly planning to propose changes to appease regulators, including the addition of a price-comparison box in search results.

Initially, Google has brought Flight Deals in beta, with plans to roll it out in the U.S., Canada, and India over the next week. The company said the goal of the beta release is “to gather feedback and explore how AI can improve travel planning.”

Google confirmed to TechCrunch that it treats user queries like search history, and users have the option to manage or delete their history created through the tool by visiting MyActivity.

The latest move is part of a broader experiment as Google looks to compete with OpenAI, Anthropic, Perplexity, and other major AI players by integrating generative AI into travel search.

Competitors like Booking.com, Expedia, and Indian travel aggregator MakeMyTrip have already rolled out their own AI integrations to streamline trip planning. In that sense, Google is arriving a bit late. But with its scale and reach, the company could still pose a serious challenge — if the tool proves effective and gains traction.

Nonetheless, the classic Google Flights interface will continue to exist. The original flight search tool, launched in 2011, is even getting an update with an option to exclude basic economy fares for trips within the U.S. and Canada.

This story has been updated to include Google’s responses to some of our questions.

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