Google Flights has long been a useful tool for carrier-agnostic travelers looking for a good price. Yet, while regular Google has seen better days, the Google Flights tool has seen improvements in recent months. For one, at long last, Southwest joined the party and started showing fares on the platform. Plus, just this week, a “Cheapest” tab was added for “those of you who are willing to give up some convenience for the best deal.” But what I want to talk about is an addition that now serves up a flight alternative in searches: Amtrak.
This tip was first brought to my attention by The Points Guy while Amtrak announced the integration last month. And while this addition might allow travelers to save some money, the intention is also to highlight more sustainable transportion options. That aspect shouldn’t be too surprising to Google Flights fans as the platform already serves up estimated average emissions on flight listings.
Anyway, when you search for certain routes where Amtrak is available, it will show under a section aptly titled “Trains to consider.” A departure time and fare may also be shown — although I found that searching for dates further out would still show train routes without specific pricing. Then, clicking the “See more train options” button will run a regular Google search for train schedules and provide a link to book on Amtrak.
Truth be told, this integration could be a bit cleaner if it allowed you to see more options on the same page rather than launching a new search, but I still think it’s pretty cool. In fact, news of this feature has reignited my desire to take a train trip sometime. The thing is, in the past, I’d never known when a train route might be available for my travel. So, if Google is serving this info to me as I’m looking for a flight, I’m far more likely to, one day, take them up on the offer.
Looking at what’s available, my first thought is that it might be fun to take a train from Kansas City or St. Louis to Chicago. Sure, it would take about as long as it would to drive (and I’d have to get myself to these cities in the first place), but it sounds like a fun adventure — and prices range from just $30 to $70 depending on departure city and timing. Then, if all goes well, perhaps I could plan a larger train trip down the road… er, track.
I’m not going to pretend that this new feature is a game-changer for Google Flight. Yet, as my headline suggests, I do think it’s kind of awesome. So whether you’re looking for a greener alternative, want to save money versus flying, or you’re a nerd like me that wants to try traveling by train, keep an eye out for these Amtrak options next time you’re searching Google Flights.