Travel · Benchmark
Which flight search engines load the fastest?
We timed how long the most popular flight search engines take to show results after you hit Search, on routes from short domestic hops to a transatlantic flight.
Key findings
- Google Flights was the fastest, showing its first results in 0.82 seconds on average, and it averaged one second or less on every route.
- Defera came second at 1.68 seconds, ahead of every metasearch engine and online travel agency we tested.
- Kayak, Cheapflights, Kiwi.com, Momondo and Skyscanner formed a close pack between 2.5 and 2.8 seconds.
- The big online travel agencies were much slower: Expedia averaged 7.24 seconds, Booking.com 13.34 seconds and Priceline 16.65 seconds.
- From fastest to slowest, the gap was about 20 times: under a second on Google Flights versus more than 16 seconds on Priceline.
- Long-haul searches were the slowest for almost everyone. New York to London added time on most sites, while short domestic routes were quickest.
Results: average seconds to first flight results
| Rank | Site | Seconds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Google Flights | 0.82 |
| 2 | Defera | 1.68 |
| 3 | Kayak | 2.51 |
| 4 | Cheapflights | 2.57 |
| 5 | Kiwi.com | 2.63 |
| 6 | Momondo | 2.72 |
| 7 | Skyscanner | 2.75 |
| 8 | Rift | 4.03 |
| 9 | Skiplagged | 5.11 |
| 10 | Expedia | 7.24 |
| 11 | Alternative Airlines | 8.19 |
| 12 | Travelocity | 8.52 |
| 13 | Orbitz | 8.56 |
| 14 | Hopper | 9.79 |
| 15 | PayLaterTravel | 10.19 |
| 16 | Trip.com | 12.35 |
| 17 | Booking.com | 13.34 |
| 18 | CheapOair | 15.06 |
| 19 | Priceline | 16.65 |
Results by route
| Site | LAX-DFW | ATL-MCO | JFK-LAX | JFK-LHR | MIA-CUN | SEA-BOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Flights | 0.71 | 0.97 | 0.67 | 1.00 | 0.77 | 0.82 |
| Defera | 1.19 | 1.77 | 1.38 | 2.81 | 1.60 | 1.34 |
| Kayak | 2.06 | 2.23 | 2.50 | 2.37 | 2.51 | 3.42 |
| Cheapflights | 2.25 | 2.30 | 2.92 | 2.69 | 2.64 | 2.64 |
| Kiwi.com | 3.15 | 2.31 | 2.60 | 2.58 | 3.13 | 1.98 |
| Momondo | 2.45 | 2.38 | 3.01 | 3.25 | 2.14 | 3.09 |
| Skyscanner | 2.66 | 2.47 | 2.58 | 3.38 | 2.84 | 2.57 |
| Rift | 3.85 | 2.82 | 3.41 | 5.32 | 3.28 | 5.51 |
| Skiplagged | 5.02 | 3.95 | 6.17 | 4.76 | 5.85 | 4.89 |
| Expedia | 7.75 | 4.21 | 6.60 | 9.07 | 5.66 | 10.15 |
| Alternative Airlines | 6.05 | 5.55 | 10.19 | 13.42 | 4.31 | 9.60 |
| Travelocity | 11.58 | 6.49 | 8.20 | 9.07 | 6.09 | 9.70 |
| Orbitz | 10.93 | 6.30 | 8.17 | 10.23 | 6.27 | 9.44 |
| Hopper | 9.21 | 9.22 | 8.06 | 16.00 | 6.70 | 9.56 |
| PayLaterTravel | 11.08 | 10.47 | 10.71 | 13.43 | 9.01 | 6.46 |
| Trip.com | 9.88 | 13.75 | 12.68 | 14.56 | 11.26 | 11.98 |
| Booking.com | 12.53 | 15.25 | 11.77 | 16.96 | 11.21 | 12.34 |
| CheapOair | 14.97 | 16.27 | 13.20 | 20.74 | 13.31 | 11.86 |
| Priceline | 14.89 | 15.52 | 15.85 | 20.49 | 17.54 | 15.64 |
Why search speed matters
Comparing flights means running a lot of searches: different dates, nearby airports, one-way versus round trip. A site that takes 10 to 15 seconds per search turns a quick comparison into a long one.
Speed is not the same as price. This benchmark measures how quickly results appear, not which site has the cheapest fare, so it is worth comparing prices on more than one site before you book.
What separates the fast sites from the slow ones
In our screen recordings, the fastest engines showed the first flights as soon as they had them and kept adding more while the page was open. Several of the slower sites held the page on a loading screen until a full set of fares was ready.
Results also varied by route. Popular domestic routes such as Atlanta to Orlando were quick almost everywhere, while the transatlantic search from New York to London was the slowest route for most sites.
How we tested
We measured the time from submitting a search to the first rendered itinerary with a fare on screen, defined as at least two flights with departure times and prices visible and not covered by a loading screen.
Each site was searched various times on each of six round-trip routes (LAX–DFW, ATL–MCO, JFK–LAX, JFK–LHR, MIA–CUN and SEA–BOI) for one adult in economy, with April 2027 departures. Every site searched the same dates in each round, and each round used dates that had not been searched before, so no site could answer from a recent identical search.
A site’s score is the mean of its six route averages, so every route counts equally. Tests ran in desktop Chrome on macOS with a warm browser cache on October 20, 2026.
Other sites were timed by opening their results page directly, which is what their Search button does. Defera was timed from the Search click inside its app; timed the same way as the others, by opening its results page, it averaged 2.08 seconds and still ranked second.
Speeds vary with network, location and time of day, so treat the figures as a snapshot from one setup rather than a guarantee.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest flight search engine?
In our October 2026 benchmark, Google Flights was the fastest, showing its first flight results in 0.82 seconds on average across six routes. Defera was second at 1.68 seconds, followed by Kayak at 2.51 seconds.
Is Kayak faster than Expedia?
Yes. Kayak averaged 2.51 seconds to show its first results, while Expedia averaged 7.24 seconds, making Kayak almost three times faster in our test.
Which flight search sites were the slowest?
Priceline was the slowest at 16.65 seconds on average, followed by CheapOair at 15.06 seconds and Booking.com at 13.34 seconds.
Does a faster flight search mean cheaper flights?
No. This benchmark only measures how quickly results appear, not fares. Prices can differ between sites, so compare a few before you book.
How was the flight search speed test done?
Each of 19 sites was searched various times on each of six round-trip routes in desktop Chrome on October 20, 2026. We timed how long each took to show at least two flights with prices, and averaged the results by route.