Flight Search is getting a major upgrade in StaffTraveler

Flight Search always helped users find options, but not always with the level of flexibility you need when a trip starts getting complicated. This upgrade changes that.

You can now search with more detailed route options, including one-stop and two-stop journeys. You can include interline connections and adjust your nearby airport range. You can even set a connection time that works for you, instead of relying on a default that we know might not fit your plans.

It sounds like a list of small settings, but together, they make a big difference. Because the route that works best for you is not always the one that appears first. Sometimes it is the one with a little more space between flights. Sometimes it is through a different airport, and at times it can be the option that requires you to widen your search just enough to spot an option you would have missed.

That is what this update is built for.

Before you send a request, you want to know what is worth checking. You want to compare options, spot alternatives, and feel like you are not missing a route that could work better.

With the improved Flight Search, you can shape the search around your trip from the start.

Need to look beyond one airport? You can widen the nearby airport range. Looking for a route with more breathing room? Adjust the connection time. Want to see if another airline opens up a better path? Include interline connections. Trying to plan around a busy route? Check one-stop and two-stop options without starting from scratch over and over.

That gives you a cleaner starting point before requesting loads from the StaffTraveler community.

And honestly, that is where this update becomes useful day to day. It is not just about finding more flights. It is about finding more relevant options, faster.

One of the biggest upgrades is the ability to choose your own connection time; now you can build that into the search. Choose the connection time that feels right for your trip, then see options that match it better. It is a small control that can save a lot of frustration later.

Another big improvement is the nearby airport search. You can now adjust how wide you want to search around your destination or departure point. That means you are not locked into one airport when another one nearby could work just as well, or maybe better.

For example, you might be heading toward Amsterdam, but Rotterdam, Brussels, or Düsseldorf could also be useful depending on the route, loads, timing, or onward travel. The same applies in plenty of other regions where nearby airports can open up better options.

Instead of manually checking each one, you can let Flight Search do more of that work for you.

This upgrade is especially helpful when your first route does not look great. Maybe the nonstop is full. Maybe the timing is awkward, or you just want a backup ready before you head to the airport.  The improved Flight Search gives you more ways to compare what is possible before you decide what to request.

You can search wider, build in more realistic connection time, and include more route types. Then, once you find the options that look worth checking, you can request loads in StaffTraveler and get current seat availability from the community.

That means less guessing at the planning stage. Better options to work with. A clearer next step.

Route Explorer showed us how much more flexible trip planning can be when you can look at routes in a wider way. We heard from users who loved being able to explore options more freely. It made planning feel less fixed, especially when the obvious route was not the best one. So we brought more of that thinking into StaffTraveler.

This is not replacing Route Explorer. It is not trying to make everything complicated either. It is about adding the right level of extra power into the app, where most of you are already working from.