Google Flights API Key: How to Get One Free in 2026

Searching for a Google Flights API key is one of those situations where the answer you need is not the one you were expecting. There is no key to request — Google has never offered a public Google Flights API for developers. What you can get is a key for one of the well-maintained third-party APIs that return the same data. This guide shows you exactly where to sign up and what to do with the key once you have it.

Free Google Flights API options compared (October 2026)#

Free allowances change often. Check each provider's pricing page before you build on one.

Why there is no official Google Flights API key#

Google ran a public flights API called QPX Express from 2012 to 2018. It let developers query fare availability and pricing directly. Google shut it down in April 2018 and has not released a replacement. Google Flights today is a consumer product — it powers google.com/flights — not a developer platform.

That means there is nothing to find in Google Cloud Console, no waitlist to join, and no enterprise program that unlocks a key. The path forward is a third-party API that wraps the same Google Flights data.

Option 1 — DataCrawler Google Flights API (recommended)#

This is the closest thing to a real Google Flights API key in 2026. The API returns the same ranked results, fares, and booking tokens you see on google.com/flights — not a different data source that approximates it.

How to get your key — step by step#

1. Go to rapidapi.com and create a free account.
2. Search for DataCrawler Google Flights API or go directly to the listing.
3. Click Subscribe to Test and choose the BASIC plan (free; RapidAPI may still ask for a payment card on file, see its pricing FAQ).
4. Open the Endpoints tab and look at the code snippet panel on the right.
5. Copy the value next to X-RapidAPI-Key — that is your key.

The key is shared across all APIs on RapidAPI. If you have used RapidAPI before, you already have one.

Test it immediately#

curl --request GET \
  --url 'https://google-flights2.p.rapidapi.com/api/v1/searchFlights?departure_id=LHR&arrival_id=JFK&outbound_date=2026-06-01&adults=1&travel_class=ECONOMY&currency=USD' \
  --header 'X-RapidAPI-Host: google-flights2.p.rapidapi.com' \
  --header 'X-RapidAPI-Key: YOUR_RAPIDAPI_KEY'

A successful response looks like:

{
  "status": true,
  "data": {
    "itineraries": {
      "topFlights": [
        {
          "price": 312,
          "stops": 0,
          "airlines": ["British Airways"],
          "departure_time": "2026-06-01T08:30:00",
          "arrival_time": "2026-06-01T11:15:00"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

If you see "status": true and a topFlights array, your key is working.

Option 2 — SerpApi#

SerpApi takes a different approach: it runs a real browser session on Google Flights and returns the results as structured JSON. The output is very close to what a human visitor sees, including the visual sort order.

Getting your key:

1. Sign up at serpapi.com — 250 free searches/month included.
2. Your API key appears on the dashboard immediately after signup.
3. Pass it as api_key in every request.

from serpapi import GoogleSearch
 
results = GoogleSearch({
    "engine": "google_flights",
    "departure_id": "LHR",
    "arrival_id": "JFK",
    "outbound_date": "2026-06-01",
    "currency": "USD",
    "api_key": "YOUR_SERPAPI_KEY"
}).get_dict()
 
for flight in results.get("best_flights", [])[:3]:
    print(flight["price"], flight["flights"][0]["airline"])

SerpApi is a good choice if you specifically need the browser-rendered view, including Featured Snippets placement and any personalisation Google applies to the session. The tradeoff is cost — paid plans start higher than RapidAPI.

Wondering about hotels? See our guide to the Google Hotel API.

If you need to actually sell tickets, not just show prices, read our flight booking API comparison.

Option 3 — Amadeus (no longer available to new developers)#

Older guides recommend Amadeus as the free, production-grade choice. That advice is out of date: Amadeus closed its Self-Service developer portal on 17 July 2026, and only Enterprise access through a sales contract remains. If you are starting a new project, use one of the options above. Our hotel API comparison covers what changed.

Free official Google data: the Travel Impact Model API#

Google does offer one free, official travel API: the Travel Impact Model API. It estimates flight emissions, so it will not give you fares or schedules, but it needs only a normal Google API key and pairs well with flight search results.

Which key should you get?#

For most developers starting out in 2026, the DataCrawler Google Flights API on RapidAPI is the right first key to get. The free tier covers prototyping, the signup is instant, and the JSON format is straightforward.

Related reading#

• Best Travel APIs for Developers in 2026 — flights, hotels, maps, weather and currency in one guide.
• Skyscanner API: Free Key, Endpoints & Code Examples — another flight data source.
• What Is a REST API? — new to APIs? Start here.
• Booking.com API: How to Get a Free API Key — add hotel search and prices to your flight data.