Google is trying out a new wrinkle in its flight booking engine, one that could give it a leg up on its competitors: A guaranteed refund if the price of your flight drops after you paid for it.
For now, Google says, it’s a pilot program, and applies mainly to flights on Alaska, Spirit and Hawaiian Airlines, although Google representatives say they hope to expand it to more carriers soon.
Unlike other search engines and portals that sell tickets, Book on Google fares are not considered tickets sold by a travel agency; Google takes the user information entered and then sets up the sale on the airline website for the user.
Fares eligible for the guarantee are marked with a price guarantee symbol. If the price drops, Google will issue a refund through the user’s Google Pay account (and will help set one up if a user doesn’t have one). Only tickets that can be bought using Book on Google are eligible.
