New Tool Helps You Book Flight Options Found on ITA Matrix
Google Flights is great for general airfare searches, but sometimes you need a more powerful flight search engine. Maybe you want to route through a particular city, fly on a particular aircraft or extend a layover to spend it in a particular lounge. In these cases, many of us turn to ITA Matrixto find the perfect itinerary.
The problem with ITA Matrix is that — once you find that perfect itinerary — you can't book it on the site! You have to try to creatively trick Google Flights or an airline's flight search tool into giving you the same flight results. Even then, sometimes you still can't find a way to book the itinerary you want.
This is such a prevalent problem that flyers have banded together on FlyerTalk to build a script to try solve this problem. However, despite a helpful instruction guide on FlyerTalk, installing this script requires extensive technical knowledge and a couple of hours to figure out and install.
Now there's a much easier way.
We were thrilled to recently find out about a new tool called BookWithMatrix that solves this problem. In just seconds, you can go from an ITA Matrix itinerary page to a flight-booking page.
Although we found some bugs when we initially tested the website, the creators have worked quickly to effectively solve the bugs we found. The tool's now in great shape, and I've already begun using it extensively.
How to Use the Tool
1. Find your flights in ITA Matrix
2. Use Ctrl-A or ⌘-A to highlight the entire itinerary detail page, then Ctrl-C or ⌘-C to copy the page.
3. Use Ctrl-V or ⌘-V to paste the itinerary into BookWithMatrix. The website will automatically load a page confirming your itinerary.
4. Select an Online Travel Agency (OTA) or American Airlines link at the bottom to complete your flight booking.
And that's it! It's a very simple but incredibly useful tool that will hopefully help a lot of travelers book the flights they want.
Limitations
While the creators have fixed the bugs that we discovered, there are some limitations to the tool to be mindful of:
- Not all OTA links will work for all flights. This is especially true on stopover (24+ hour layover) and open-jaw flights. That said, all of the itineraries we have tested so far will work on at least one of the OTA links.
- The link to American Airlines is still a little buggy. You'll get a "The fare for this itinerary has changed since you selected your flight(s)" error on AA.com, but the flights have still been bookable at the same price.
- Since Southwest Airlines flight results don't appear in ITA Matrix, you won't be able to use BookWithMatrix to book Southwest flights.
Have you tested out this tool? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.