To cut right to the chase: Google Flight Search isn't ready for prime time. It's limited to domestic destinations only, and far fewer of those than you'd find on Kayak. It includes fewer airlines than Kayak on each search, misses some fares and it doesn't offer an option for any class of service other than economy. To me, that's like publishing a dictionary that doesn't go all the way to "z."

Having said that, remember that this is Google, a company that tends to roll out products as soon as possible, and tweak them later. The company has said that this early iteration was focused on speed, accuracy and ease of use -- broader coverage will come in the future.

Indeed, Google Flight Search is quick and easy to use and it has a cool interface and some nice tools you won't find in Kayak. I just wish it did a better job finding flights and fares.

The first thing you'll see when you go to Flight Search is a map of the country, with blue dots next to the names of cities. Since Google knows where I live, it auto-fills the "from" field with San Francisco, and puts the blue start arrow there as well. Pick arrival and departure dates, and then click on a second city. (For cities or regions that have multiple airports, you'll get a choice.)