Seats.aero Launches Chrome Extension That Adds Award Prices to Google Flights
For years, award travelers have relied on two browser tabs when planning flights: one for Google Flights to compare cash fares and another for Seats.aero to search award availability. That extra step has now become largely unnecessary.
Seats.aero has officially launched a Google Chrome extension that overlays award pricing directly into Google Flights search results, allowing travelers to compare cash fares and points redemptions without leaving the page. The new feature is designed to make one of the most time-consuming parts of award travel dramatically easier.
Award Prices Appear Beside Cash Fares
Once the extension is installed, Google Flights continues to function normally, but each eligible flight now displays additional information beneath the cash price showing:
- The lowest available award price in points or miles
- Multiple airline loyalty programs that can book the same flight
- Taxes and fees associated with each redemption
- How recently the award price was found
- Available seat inventory where supported
Clicking on the award pricing opens more detailed information, while hovering over the listing reveals additional redemption options across supported loyalty programs. The extension currently works with Google Flights and also supports Chase Travel, with additional booking sites expected in the future.
More Than 25 Loyalty Programs Supported
One of Seats.aero's biggest strengths has always been its extensive coverage of airline loyalty programs, and the Chrome extension continues that advantage.
Supported programs span all three major airline alliances, including:
- United MileagePlus
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- American AAdvantage
- Alaska Mileage Plan
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue
- Delta SkyMiles
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- Lufthansa Miles & More
- Turkish Miles&Smiles
In total, the extension supports more than 25 airline loyalty programs, giving travelers a much broader view of award opportunities than searching airline websites individually.
Free vs. Pro Membership
The extension is available to everyone, but the experience differs depending on whether you have a free or Pro Seats.aero account.
Free Users
Free users can view cached award availability for direct flights departing within the next 60 days. This is often sufficient for travelers making relatively near-term bookings.
Pro Members
Subscribers receive several additional benefits, including:
- Live award pricing updates
- Access to flights beyond 60 days
- Connecting itinerary searches
- Additional filtering options
- Expanded search capabilities
Because award inventory changes frequently, real-time pricing is especially valuable before transferring flexible credit card points to an airline partner. Cached results should always be verified with the airline before booking.
A Redesigned Search Experience
Alongside the Chrome extension, Seats.aero has also begun rolling out a redesigned search interface with several enhancements aimed at power users.
New features include:
- Cheapest by Date sorting
- Cheapest Nonstop sorting
- Enhanced filters for aircraft type, connection airports, departure times, and flight duration
- Historical award pricing charts
- One-click price drop alerts
- Transfer partner previews
- Additional customization options for airports and cabin preferences
The redesigned interface is being released in phases and is expected to become available to all users soon.
Cardholder Award Pricing Comes to Pro Members
Seats.aero also announced expanded support for airline cardholder pricing.
Pro members who hold eligible United or Delta co-branded credit cards can enable cardholder pricing within their account settings. Once activated, Seats.aero displays discounted award prices that are only available to eligible cardholders.
For United cardholders, enabling this option may also reveal additional award inventory that isn't available to general MileagePlus members, making it easier to locate bookable award space.
How It Compares to Points Path
The new extension naturally draws comparisons to the popular Points Path Chrome extension, which also displays award pricing inside Google Flights.
Both tools eliminate the need to manually search airline websites, but they take somewhat different approaches.
Points Path is often considered easier for beginners because it presents a simpler comparison between cash and award prices. Seats.aero, however, offers broader airline coverage, more advanced filtering, and access to significantly more loyalty programs, making it especially attractive to experienced points and miles enthusiasts.
Why This Matters
One of the biggest challenges in award travel has always been determining whether using miles actually represents good value. Travelers often spend time searching Google Flights for cash fares before repeating the same search across multiple airline loyalty programs.
By placing award prices directly alongside cash fares, Seats.aero dramatically shortens that process. Instead of bouncing between websites, travelers can immediately see whether paying cash or redeeming points offers the better deal.
For anyone who regularly transfers Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards, or Bilt Rewards to airline partners, the extension could save considerable time while uncovering better redemption opportunities.
Final Thoughts
Seats.aero has already become one of the most popular award search tools among frequent travelers, and its new Chrome extension makes it even more useful. By integrating award pricing directly into Google Flights, the extension simplifies one of the most tedious parts of award travel planning.
While casual travelers may find the free version sufficient for upcoming trips, frequent award travelers will likely benefit from the real-time pricing, expanded search capabilities, and advanced filters included with a Pro membership.
If you've ever found yourself comparing Google Flights in one tab and award search tools in another, this new extension may become one of the most valuable additions to your travel planning toolkit.
