Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.
Google can now tell you if your flight will be delayed, even before the airlines
- Google is updating its Flights service with predictions on flight delays.
- The predictions, along with reasons for flight delays, come from Google’s machine learning algorithms.
- The Flights feature can also show what’s included in some “Basic Economy” flight prices.
If you travel regularly, you’re probably aware that flights can get delayed for any number of reasons. Google wants to help make getting information on flight delays a little easier with an update to its Flights search feature.
According to Google’s blog post, the Flights feature can not only show if a specific flight you are searching for is officially delayed, but it can now also predict if a flight might not arrive or depart on time. This is due to Google’s own machine learning algorithms that might actually predict delays before the airlines themselves issue an official announcement. In addition to flight time predictions, the new feature will also share possible reasons for delays, such as weather. Google says its prediction engine will only mark a flight as being delayed if it is at least 80 percent confident that the prediction is accurate.
Another update to Google Flights will help with travelers who are flying with “Basic Economy” tickets. Sure, those prices might be cheaper than business class or first class, but what if you have to pay extra for things like baggage fees or a way to change your seat? The new feature will now show what is and isn’t included in Basic Economy tickets from American, Delta, and United Airlines flights. Hopefully this feature will expand to include other airlines in the future.