Using the Google Flights MCP in Claude

Claude Desktop and Claude Code can search live flight and hotel data mid-conversation when you connect the FlightPowers MCP servers. One config block unlocks four tools: live Google Flights pricing, Booking.com hotel searches, and the date-range and destination-list expansions that turn a single question into a multi-day scan.

What you need

• Claude Desktop or Claude Code
• A RapidAPI key for the

  Google Flights Live API

  and the

  Booking Live API

  . One key covers both once you subscribe to each listing. The free tier (10 requests/month) verifies your config works; the $10 PRO plan (2,500 requests/month) is the realistic floor for a conversational assistant you actually use.

Setting up the MCP servers

For Claude Desktop

On Mac, open ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. On Windows, open %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Add this block:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "flights": {
      "url": "https://flights.flightpowers.com/mcp",
      "headers": { "x-rapidapi-key": "YOUR_RAPIDAPI_KEY" }
    },
    "hotels": {
      "url": "https://hotels.flightpowers.com/mcp",
      "headers": { "x-rapidapi-key": "YOUR_RAPIDAPI_KEY" }
    }
  }
}

If the file already has an mcpServers section, add flights and hotels inside it. Replace YOUR_RAPIDAPI_KEY with your actual key. Both servers share the same key once you subscribe to each listing on RapidAPI.

Restart Claude Desktop. The tools appear automatically.

For Claude Code

Create .mcp.json in your project root (commit this file) with this config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "flights": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://flights.flightpowers.com/mcp",
      "headers": { "x-rapidapi-key": "YOUR_RAPIDAPI_KEY" }
    },
    "hotels": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://hotels.flightpowers.com/mcp",
      "headers": { "x-rapidapi-key": "YOUR_RAPIDAPI_KEY" }
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_RAPIDAPI_KEY with your actual key. Both servers share the same key once you subscribe to each listing on RapidAPI.

For user-wide config (applies to all projects), add the same block to ~/.claude.json on Mac/Linux or %USERPROFILE%\.claude.json on Windows. You can also run claude mcp add and paste the URLs instead of hand-editing.

Restart Claude Code. The tools appear in the toolbox.

The four tools

search_oneway_flights: Live one-way flight prices from Google Flights. Pass a single date or a date range (departure_date_from / departure_date_to) and the server expands it internally. Each result includes price, price_as_number, price_range_in_relation_to_other_periods (the context field), and a buy_link that opens the itinerary on Google Flights ready to book.

search_roundtrip_flights: Paired round-trip itineraries with both legs already matched. One object per option with a combined total_price, not two lists to cross-join. Takes a return_date or a trip length in nights.

search_hotels: Live Booking.com destination search. Returns ranked properties with price_string, price_as_number, review_score, room_type, and a booking_link. Accepts the same filters the site offers: review_score_8, free_cancellation, and the rest.

find_hotel_by_name: Availability and price for one named hotel. Takes the name a human would type (add the city to disambiguate a chain) and resolves the property internally. Supports price_as_seen_from, a two-letter country code that prices the stay as a shopper in that market would see it, the field rate-parity checks are built on.

Example prompts

Ask about a specific date. "Find me a nonstop LHR to JFK flight on October 13 and tell me if the price is any good."

Scan a whole month. "What is the cheapest day to fly Lisbon to New York in November?"

Plan a trip. "I need a round trip JFK to Paris, out October 6, back October 13. What are my best-value options?"

Search hotels. "Find a hotel in Lisbon, October 9 to 12, 2 adults, review score 8+, free cancellation."

Check rate parity. "Price the Rixos Sungate in Antalya for October 5 to 10 as seen from the US, Germany, and Israel."

How it works

The servers are hosted at https://flights.flightpowers.com/mcp and https://hotels.flightpowers.com/mcp. Nothing runs on your machine. Claude sends your RapidAPI key with each call (in the x-rapidapi-key header), so usage meters against your own subscription. The free BASIC tier (10 requests/month, hard cap, no card) verifies the config works. A conversational assistant you use daily fits the $10 PRO plan.

Date ranges and destination lists

Both flight tools accept a date range (departure_date_from / departure_date_to) and a list of airports in from_airport and to_airport (comma-separated strings like "JFK,EWR,LGA"). The server expands them internally, so a flexible search is one call where the REST API would be a client-side fan-out of one request per date and destination combination.

When to use this

Use the MCP servers when you want Claude to search live travel data mid-conversation. The response shape Claude sees is the one production will see. Use the REST API for production traffic and scheduled scans outside Claude.

Related

• FlightPowers on Claude Desktop: the full integration overview
• MCP Servers: setup for Cursor, ChatGPT, and other MCP clients
• Open-source agent skills: the same workflows as MIT-licensed skills