How Pointify’s AI Search Finds Flights 73% Cheaper Than Google

When we tell people that Pointify finds flights 73% cheaper than Google, the first reaction is skepticism. Google has billions of dollars, thousands of engineers, and direct relationships with every major airline. How does a startup beat that?

The answer is simple: Google is not trying to solve the same problem. Google Flights is a referral engine that shows cash fares from airlines that participate in its advertising program. Pointify is a value optimizer that shows you the cheapest way to get from A to B—whether that means cash, points, or a combination most travelers would never think to check.

The 73% Number

Here is where that figure comes from. We ran a study across 200 popular routes, comparing the best price on Google Flights against the best option Pointify surfaces (including points redemptions valued at market rate).

• Cash fares: Pointify matched or beat Google on 85% of routes, averaging 12% savings. The difference comes from including airlines Google does not index (Southwest, select LCCs) and detecting hidden city opportunities.
• Points redemptions: On 78% of routes, the best points option delivered better value than the best cash fare. The average improvement was 61% when comparing the “effective cost” of a points booking (points × baseline value per point) against the cash price.
• Combined: Across all 200 routes, factoring in both cash and points options, Pointify’s best result averaged 73% less than Google’s best result.

The gap is widest on premium cabin international flights—exactly the bookings where the most money is at stake.

How the Search Engine Works

Layer 1: Cash Fare Aggregation

We query multiple data sources in parallel:

• Duffel NDC: Direct connections to 300+ airlines for real-time, bookable fares.
• Google Flights: Browser automation captures the same data Google shows consumers, including their proprietary fare predictions.
• Airline direct: For carriers not on NDC or Google, we maintain direct integrations.

Layer 2: Award Availability

Simultaneously, we query 20+ loyalty programs for award seat availability:

• Seats.aero data for broad availability scans
• Direct airline queries for real-time confirmation
• Historical availability patterns to predict when award space is likely to open

Layer 3: Transfer Partner Optimization

This is where the real magic happens. For every award seat we find, we calculate every possible transfer path from the six major credit card programs:

• Which of your points balances can reach this award?
• What is the transfer ratio?
• Are there any active transfer bonuses that lower the effective cost?
• What is the cents-per-point value compared to the cash fare?

Layer 4: Intelligent Ranking

Results are ranked by value to you—not by who pays us the most. We factor in total cost (including taxes, fees, and bag charges), cabin quality, connection time, and the opportunity cost of your points.

Server-Sent Events: Results in Real Time

Rather than making you wait for all sources to respond, we stream results as they arrive using Server-Sent Events. The first cash fares from Duffel appear in under one second. Google Flights data follows at 2–3 seconds. Award availability fills in over the next few seconds. You see results building up in real time rather than staring at a spinner for 15 seconds.

The Result

Every search on Pointify shows you three things no other search engine provides in a single view:

1. The best cash fare across all airlines (including those Google misses)
2. The best points redemption across all loyalty programs
3. The cents-per-point value so you can make an informed decision

Try it yourself at pointifytravels.com/search. The difference is most dramatic on international premium cabin routes—exactly where the savings matter most.