AI Flight Search: Are Chatbots Ready to Replace Kayak and Skyscanner?
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As the holiday season rapidly approaches – with Halloween just weeks away – the perennial challenge of finding affordable flights looms large for travelers. Traditionally,comparison sites like Kayak and Skyscanner have been the go-to resources for securing the best deals. But with the explosion of artificial intelligence (AI), a question arises: can conversational AI tools now outperform these established platforms? A recent experiment explored this very question, testing three AI agents against the task of finding the cheapest Thanksgiving flights.
The Rise of AI Travel Assistants
The tech industry’s relentless promotion of AI’s benefits prompted a direct comparison between established flight search engines and emerging AI-powered alternatives. The goal was simple: identify the most affordable round-trip flight from New York City to Dallas during the Thanksgiving period. The same prompt was issued to ChatGPT, Google flight Deals, and iMean.ai to ensure a fair assessment.
ChatGPT: A Sea of Options
the first test involved ChatGPT. After a brief exchange to clarify the travel dates and destination, the chatbot returned a range of options. The results, which included trip itineraries with baggage fees – yielded results between $190 and $220, complete with direct links to the carrier’s websites.
google Flight Deals: Simplicity with Limitations
Next in line was Google’s recently launched Flight Deals, an AI-powered extension of Google Flights. Billed as a tool for “flexible travelers whose number one goal is saving money,” it allows users to input requests in natural language.
Despite the intuitive interface, the experience proved frustrating. Google Flight Deals required repeated confirmation of the departure city, even after initially receiving “NYC” as a response. The search ultimately returned a single option: a $249 nonstop United flight from Monday, November 24, to Friday, November 28. A disclaimer clarified that the results represented flights “significantly cheaper than usual” or among the “lowest-priced options.”
Critically, Google Flight Deals lacked the conversational follow-up capabilities of ChatGPT and failed to disclose whether the $249 fare included checked baggage. Clicking the result redirected users to the traditional Google Flights interface for further exploration.
iMean.ai: A Balanced Approach
the prompt was tested on iMean.ai, a dedicated conversational AI travel assistant. Unlike ChatGPT’s initial questioning, iMean.ai immediatly analyzed 302 flight options and identified an itinerary involving split flights – one airline for departure, another for return.
The proposed itinerary, departing New York City on Wednesday, November 26, and returning from Dallas on Sunday, November 30, totaled $334. iMean.ai, like ChatGPT, offered continued conversation and presented results in a split-screen format detailing flight times for each leg of the journey. A “view” button linked directly to Kayak for booking.
The Verdict: AI Still Has Room to Grow
The experiment yielded three distinct flight options – ChatGPT ($190-$220), Google Flight Deals ($249), and iMean.ai ($334) – each on different dates and airlines. Based solely on price, ChatGPT identified the cheapest tickets. However, the overall experience highlighted the current limitations of AI in travel planning.
The varying results and the uncertainty surrounding the AI’s decision-making process left one analyst with a “nagging feeling.” ChatGPT’s endless options risked analysis paralysis, while Google Flight Deals’ single suggestion lacked confidence. iMean.ai offered a middle ground, but its price was less competitive.
Ultimately, the experience reinforced the value of traditional flight comparison websites like Skyscanner and Kayak. While exploring AI agents can provide additional data points, it remains prudent to cross-reference their recommendations with established platforms. If you’re thinking of using chatbots to find deals on flights for this upcoming holiday season, it can’t hurt to check out various AI agents to see what information they return, but you should still check the results of any AI recommendations against the results of traditional flight checking tools.
