My Guide to Matrix ITA by Google

You asked for it! Here is my guide to the Matrix Airfare Search product from ITA Software, even if it will probably not do my YouTube statistics any good! This is a free tool offered by Google, which powers the excellent Google Search product but which is also an extremely powerful resource if you want to explore your travel options fully. It is a computer system, so you need to approach it with a logical mind, and the syntax can be irritating, so my video will reflect that in its approach by explaining the offering in 3 phases:

Firstly, I'll walk through the core system, explaining each function. At the end of this you should be able to source detailed answers to simple questions.

Secondly, I'll walk through the extension codes. These are extremely powerful and allow you to search with pretty much every condition or consideration you might want to take into account.

Finally, the major drawback of the system is that you cannot book through it, so I will explain the 3 ways of taking the results you find and turn them into a booking.

This is my longest ever video, was probably the toughest to make and will probably not be a huge hit with channel viewers! But I hope it will be a valuable resource that people will come back to as and when they are looking to book travel. Remember you can pause the video to look at input or result screens, and I recommend "playing along" with a Matrix tab open alongside this video, so you can run your own experiments on your own travel plans.

Thanks for watching!

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⏰ Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
1:09 - Background
3:12 - Basic Walkthrough
7:30 - Navigating the Results
9:42 - Advanced Controls - Routing Codes
15:17 - Extension Codes
18:08 - Booking something you found

[wellsw]

Best ITA tutorial on Youtube, period. Thanks!

[ControlConceptsUSA]

I just stumbled upon your site while searching on Matrix software and ended up watching your very well done video. Nicely done! Thanks.

[ZengoMay]

Great insight to ITA Matrix! As a novice I’ve struggled with the system vagaries. I will now watch your other videos to finesse my newly acquired knowledge. Thanks 🙏🏼

[hanrau]

Lovely Video! I am an intermediate matrix user and learned a lot!

[jonboyjon]

Thanks for the video, Matt. Just managed to get return to San Diego on BA CW A350 for under £1300, thanks to your tips here. Saved me thousands of pounds!

[DougPVlogs]

I travel a lot making videos for my YouTube channel so this is great information. I will have to watch it a few times to hopefully understand everything.

[BairdJoshua]

Matt, thank you so much for this! I have recently switched airlines with work, from Etihad to Qatar, which obviously opened up the whole universe of Avios and therefore by extension your videos. I have been following you for around 6 months and have found your channel to be an absolute gold mine! I am now worried about quite how boring I have become that I find it necessary to check all available fare options of flights to find the optimum cash / Avois balance through Matrix ITA. I could see in this video, you could see the humour in quite how boring this all is... but nevertheless vital stuff!! Thank you for your service.

[aidankerr]

I've given you a hat tip on Flyer Talk, Matt, but just to say I have just successfully booked my first Tier Point run linked holiday with my wife thanks to this tutorial and the wider tier point run explainer series. We will both be Silver status after the trip.

[voodooguy]

I only ever make easy-to-book, uncomplicated flights and have no need for Matrix ITA. However, I watched the video all the way through - stopping multiple times to make sure I understood what was being said - and will most likely use the Matrix in the future. It looks like my idea of a good time and can't wait to play around with the advanced settings even though they are of no use to me. Excellent video!!!

[bg.travel]

Easily the most informative video for understanding how to maximize air travel options. THANK YOU for putting this together!

[MrTedflick]

Surprised you don't have more views. You have a wealth of information with all your travel experience. Thank you!

[jimmyjames]

Thanks for another great video/tutorial with step by step instructions on how to use Matrix ITA!

[edhayes]

Thanks Matt, having watched this when it went live, coming back for another watch to refresh my understanding.

[whatbensees]

This will revolutionise my world of travel! Thanks Matt. Amazing videos you're producing!

[kwkiwi]

Thanks Matt for this. Incredibly helpful video. I've signed up on your Patreon page yesterday on the back of this great video. I've always thought ita matrix would be too complicated for me but am finding it very helpful for planning trips that are a combination of points and cash fares. Cheers a New Zealand fan of yours.

[healwithjaniele]

thank you for taking the time to create this thorough and useful vid. Now off to book my trip!

[oliverbutterfield]

A better watch than the line of duty finale!

[brianvroom]

Thanks for your hard work! I've been using Matrix for years for personal and business travel, and now my son and I are going to increase the number of amateurs in the industry by another couple of newbs. You gave me several hints on shortcuts on the routing and extensions, as well as making it MUCH easier to train someone else to use Matrix.

[jamierogers]

Great Vid as always Matt, I'm hooked on your channel.Your knowledge of the Airline industry is un matched..

[murphaph]

Thanks a lot Matt. Your herculean efforts are very much appreciated. I have recently gotten into the airmiles game. I'm based in Germany so the LH M&M programme is the easiest one for me to collect points on (through regular on the ground activities like shopping etc. moreso than actual flying!) The Star-Alliance-LH extension code is actually really useful because LH levies very hefty surcharges on its M&M tickets. It is very nice to be able to search for flights ex-Germany that are not operated by LH but are in the *A.