Google Flights Search

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

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

When NOT to Use

• Booking flights: This skill searches only. Do not attempt to complete a purchase.
• Hotels/rental cars: Use other tools for non-flight travel searches.
• Historical price data: Google Flights shows current prices, not historical.

Session Convention

Always use --session flights for isolation.

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]

Default: Economy + Business Comparison

Always run two parallel sessions — economy and business — to show the price delta. This adds no extra time since both load concurrently.

# Launch both in parallel (background the first)
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 both
agent-browser --session econ close &
agent-browser --session biz close &
wait

Then present results with a business class delta column:

Matching logic: Match flights by airline name and departure time. Not all economy flights have a business equivalent (budget carriers like ZIPAIR, Air Japan don’t offer business). Show “—” when no business match exists.

Tip: When an airline appears in business results but not economy (e.g., Philippine Airlines), it may operate business-only pricing on that route. Include it in the table with “—” for economy.

One Way with Business Delta

Same pattern — just add +one+way to both URLs:

agent-browser --session econ open "https://www.google.com/travel/flights?q=Flights+from+LAX+to+LHR+on+2026-04-15+one+way" &
agent-browser --session biz open "https://www.google.com/travel/flights?q=Flights+from+LAX+to+LHR+on+2026-04-15+one+way+business+class" &
wait

When User Asks for Business Only

If the user specifically asks for business class (not a comparison), run just the business session:

agent-browser --session flights open "https://www.google.com/travel/flights?q=Flights+from+JFK+to+CDG+on+2026-06-01+returning+2026-06-15+business+class"
agent-browser --session flights wait --load networkidle
agent-browser --session flights snapshot -i
agent-browser --session flights close

First Class / Multiple Passengers

agent-browser --session flights open "https://www.google.com/travel/flights?q=Flights+from+JFK+to+CDG+on+2026-06-01+returning+2026-06-15+first+class+2+adults+1+child"
agent-browser --session flights wait --load networkidle
agent-browser --session flights snapshot -i
agent-browser --session flights close

What Works via URL

What Requires Interactive Fallback

• Premium economy cabin class
• Multi-city trips (3+ legs)
• Infant passengers (seat vs lap distinction)
• URL didn’t load results (consent banner, CAPTCHA, locale issue)

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 economy + business snapshots into a combined table with delta:

Matching: Pair economy and business results by airline + departure time. Budget carriers without business class show “—”. Include “Best”/”Cheapest” labels from Google when present.

Interactive Workflow (Fallback)

Use for multi-city, premium economy, or when the URL path fails.

Open and Snapshot

agent-browser --session flights open "https://www.google.com/travel/flights"
agent-browser --session flights wait 3000
agent-browser --session flights snapshot -i

If a consent banner appears, click “Accept all” or “Reject all” first.

Set Trip Type (if not Round Trip)

agent-browser --session flights click @eN   # Trip type combobox ("Round trip")
agent-browser --session flights snapshot -i
agent-browser --session flights click @eN   # "One way" or "Multi-city"
agent-browser --session flights wait 1000
agent-browser --session flights snapshot -i

Set Cabin Class / Passengers (if non-default)

Cabin class:

agent-browser --session flights click @eN   # Cabin class combobox
agent-browser --session flights snapshot -i
agent-browser --session flights click @eN   # Select class
agent-browser --session flights wait 1000
agent-browser --session flights snapshot -i

Passengers:

agent-browser --session flights click @eN   # Passengers button
agent-browser --session flights snapshot -i
agent-browser --session flights click @eN   # "+" for Adults/Children/Infants
agent-browser --session flights snapshot -i
agent-browser --session flights click @eN   # "Done"
agent-browser --session flights wait 1000
agent-browser --session flights snapshot -i

Enter Airport (Origin or Destination)

agent-browser --session flights click @eN   # Combobox field
agent-browser --session flights wait 1000
agent-browser --session flights snapshot -i
agent-browser --session flights fill @eN "BKK"
agent-browser --session flights wait 2000   # CRITICAL: wait for autocomplete
agent-browser --session flights snapshot -i
agent-browser --session flights click @eN   # Click suggestion (NEVER press Enter)
agent-browser --session flights wait 1000
agent-browser --session flights snapshot -i

Set Dates

agent-browser --session flights click @eN   # Date textbox
agent-browser --session flights wait 1000
agent-browser --session flights snapshot -i
# Calendar shows dates as buttons: "Friday, March 20, 2026"
agent-browser --session flights click @eN   # Click target date
agent-browser --session flights wait 500
agent-browser --session flights snapshot -i
# Click "Done" to close calendar
agent-browser --session flights click @eN   # "Done" button
agent-browser --session flights wait 1000
agent-browser --session flights snapshot -i

Search

“Done” only closes the calendar. You MUST click “Search” separately.

agent-browser --session flights click @eN   # "Search" button
agent-browser --session flights wait --load networkidle
agent-browser --session flights snapshot -i
agent-browser --session flights close

Multi-City Specifics

After selecting “Multi-city” trip type, the form shows one row per leg:

• Each leg has: origin combobox, destination combobox, departure date textbox
• Origins auto-fill from the previous leg’s destination
• Click “Add flight” to add more legs (default: 2 legs shown)
• Click “Remove flight from X to Y” buttons to remove legs
• Results show flights for the first leg, with prices reflecting the total multi-city cost

Fill each leg’s destination + date in order, then click “Search”.

Key Rules

Troubleshooting

Consent popups: Click “Accept all” or “Reject all” in the snapshot.

URL fast path didn’t work: Fall back to interactive. Some regions/locales handle ?q= differently.

No results: Verify airports (check combobox labels), dates in the future, or wait longer.

Bot detection / CAPTCHA: Inform user. Do NOT solve CAPTCHAs. Retry after a short wait.

Deep-Dive Reference

See references/interaction-patterns.md for:

• Full annotated walkthrough (every command + expected output)
• Airport autocomplete failure modes and recovery
• Date picker calendar navigation
• Multi-city searches
• Scrolling for more results