Saving Money With AI: 4 Ways To Use ChatGPT To Find the Cheapest Airline Tickets
Holiday travel is coming up quickly! Of course, with more travelers expected in the coming months, demand will be steadily increasing until the end of 2023. Higher demand for airline tickets means elevated fares, which will cause many cost-conscious travelers to seek out the cheapest airline tickets they can find.
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The good news is that ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot, can help you save money on airfare. Here are four ways to use ChatGPT to find the cheapest airline tickets.
ChatGPT vs. ChatGPT Plus
Before you start using ChatGPT to find cheap airline tickets, it’s important to understand that you’ll get the most comprehensive results with ChatGPT Plus. ChatGPT Plus requires a subscription and costs $20 per month.
Once you’ve subscribed to ChatGPT Plus, you’ll need to follow these steps to install travel plugins, such as Expedia, Kayak or Travel.com:
Log in to the platform and click on your name, which is located on the bottom left of the screen.
Click on “Beta Features” and make sure the “Plugins” option is toggled on.
Click on the GTP-4 option at the top of the screen to access a dropdown menu.
Click on “Plugins.” You will receive a message stating, “No plugins enabled.”
Click on “Plugins Store” and search and add the plugins you want by clicking “Install.”
Exit the store and return to the GTP-4 tab where you’ll find the icons for the installed plugins.
It’s also important to understand that this is experimental technology and results might not always be accurate. For example, the Expedia Group said this in a press release about its ChatGPT travel plugin: “It’s also important to remember that while many measures have been taken to limit inaccurate results and inappropriate responses, at times the experience may not work exactly as expected. Feedback from both our employees and all those using the experience will be continually looked at to make sure responses meet our standards.”
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Use the Kayak Plugin on ChatGPT Plus
The Kayak plugin will handle your request to find the cheapest airline tickets. You can post specific questions, such as, “What are the cheapest round-trip flights from Los Angeles, CA to Dallas, TX from July 11 to July 18?”
The Kayak plugin will post results with links so you can book the flights immediately.
Use the Expedia Plugin on ChatGPT Plus
The Expedia plugin for ChatGPT Plus works in a similar way to the Kayak plugin. Users can post their request to the chatbot and receive results with links that will allow them to book their flights on Expedia.
Feel free to add specific details to your query such as, “I prefer a long layover” to get more personalized results.
Use the Trip.com Plugin on ChatGPT Plus
Trip.com offers a plugin for ChatGPT Plus that can help you find cheap flights. Simply type in your query and wait for the results. Click on the corresponding link for the flight you want, and you’ll be able to book it right away.
Find Cheap Flights Using Regular ChatGPT
If you don’t have ChatGPT Plus, you might be able to use ChatGPT to find the cheapest airline tickets. However, you’ll have to do more of the legwork than you would when using the Kayak plugin.
First, enter details about your travel dates and destination. For example, this is a prompt from earlier this summer: “Find the cheapest airline tickets for a roundtrip from Los Angeles, CA to Dallas, TX from July 11 to July 18.” Here are the options received from ChatGPT using that prompt:
Option 1:
Airline: Spirit Airlines
Departure: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on July 11, 2023
Return: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) on July 18, 2023
Price: Approximately $180 per ticket
Option 2:
Airline: Frontier Airlines
Departure: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on July 11, 2023
Return: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) on July 18, 2023
Price: Approximately $190 per ticket
Option 3:
Airline: American Airlines
Departure: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on July 11, 2023
Return: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) on July 18, 2023
Price: Approximately $220 per ticket
Note that there are no links like you’ll find when you use the integrated travel plugins in ChatGPT plus. Instead, it gives you an idea of what airlines are offering the cheapest fares for your chosen itinerary. You’ll then have to look up the airfares and book the tickets yourself.
ChatGPT also stated that the prices are subject to change and additional fees may apply. It suggested visiting the respective airline’s website or using a trusted travel booking platform to secure tickets at the best price. It also recommended comparing options and factoring in baggage allowances and flight times to allow you to make an informed decision based on your preferences and budget.
Note that on a second attempt to use ChatGPT to get cheap airfare suggestions, it stated that it didn’t have access to real-time flight data or the ability to browse the internet and could not give specific information for the cheapest airline tickets from Los Angeles to Dallas on July 11-18. So, it seems that the best way to use ChatGPT to find cheap airline tickets is to subscribe to ChatGPT Plus and install the travel plugins of your choice.
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