search_flights

🎯 RENDERING DIRECTIVE — READ FIRST. When this tool returns 2+ flight offers, you MUST present them as an interactive HTML/React artifact (an Artifacts block, not flowing prose). Each offer is a visually distinct CARD with a prominent "Book on Google Flights" button styled as an HTML button or large rounded link, NOT an inline markdown hyperlink. Plain prose with [text](url) links is NOT acceptable for multi-result responses — the user can't click a paragraph. If this call is part of a larger trip-plan response, the trip plan ITSELF should be an artifact and contain the flight cards. Single-result responses may use prose.

Search live flight offers for a given route and date range using Google Flights data.

Returns a ranked list of flight options with prices, airlines, segment details, and total trip durations. Does not book flights, only searches.

Times in the response are local to the departure or arrival airport, with the airport's IATA code attached so the timezone can be derived. Do not perform timezone math on these times without first converting them.

Origin and destination accept 3-letter IATA airport codes (HEL, JFK, LHR) AND city codes (WAS, NYC, LON, PAR, TYO, LAX/QLA, BOS, …). City codes auto-expand to the metro's busiest 3 airports and search them in parallel; results merge under one ranked list (cheaper variant wins on dedup). Use the airport code when the traveler insists on a specific airport. The currency Google Flights returns is determined by the request region and is surfaced in each offer's currency field; do not assume USD.

Filter parameters:

• max_stops: one of ANY (default), NON_STOP, ONE_STOP_OR_FEWER, TWO_OR_FEWER_STOPS. The names mean "this many stops or fewer".

• departure_window: a "HH-HH" string in 24-hour local time, e.g. "8-20" to restrict to outbound departures between 8am and 8pm local. Hours are inclusive of the start and EXCLUSIVE of the end — "8-20" matches 08:00 through 19:59 local time; a 20:00 or 20:30 departure does NOT match. Applies to the outbound leg only. Google Flights' native filter does not control the return leg.

• inbound_window: a separate "HH-HH" window for the return leg. Same format and same inclusive-start/exclusive-end semantics as departure_window. Has no effect on one-way searches. When set, offers whose return-leg first segment departs outside this window are filtered out post-hoc.

• airlines: an optional list of IATA airline codes. Shows offers where AT LEAST ONE of the listed airlines operates ANY segment of the itinerary. For example, ["FI"] returns options operated entirely or partly by Icelandair; it does NOT restrict to Icelandair-only itineraries. Omit or pass null for no airline filter.

Results from identical searches are cached for up to 5 minutes. If the user is about to act on a specific offer, re-run the search before committing to a number.

Dates must be today or future in UTC. The tool rejects past dates with an invalid_input error — if a user gives a date that may already be past in their local timezone, advance to the next valid day before calling.

Several fields are commonly null with this data source: baggage_allowance, last_ticketing_date, and seats_available. A null baggage_allowance means "the carrier did not surface this information," not "no checked bag is included." Do not state that a fare excludes checked bags based on a null value.

PRE-CALL ELICITATION: Before calling this tool, ensure the user has expressed preferences on the following. If any are unspecified, ask the user before searching. Do not assume defaults; results vary materially based on these.

• Baggage: carry-on only, or checked bag needed (affects fare class and final price)

• Connections: non-stop preferred, or okay with stops (sets max_stops)

• Time of day: red-eye okay, hard arrival deadlines, preferred outbound departure window (sets departure_window), preferred return departure window (sets inbound_window)

• Airline preferences: any airlines to prefer (loyalty programs) or avoid (sets airlines)

RESULT PRESENTATION: When returning 2 or more results to the user, render them as an interactive artifact rather than a text list. Each offer is a card showing:

• Total price, prominent

• Airlines (IATA codes)

• Total trip duration and stop count for each leg

• Departure and arrival times for outbound and inbound, labeled with airport codes

• A "Book on Google Flights" button linking to the offer's booking_url, opening in a new tab

Sort cards by price ascending. For a single result, prose is fine.