In 2021, 2.3 billion passengers traveled by air around the world. Online ticket booking sites have grown in popularity as air travel has increased. The use of these websites to book flight tickets is convenient, but they also come with their own set of issues.
During the booking process, online air ticket booking sites frequently inflate their prices, which is one of the main issues. This is a prohibited practice and so far no company has been caught red-handed. The European Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) prohibits changing the price of a ticket without informing the consumer using the information provided by a browsing history.
If you see prices move so often, it’s simply because the yield management system is doing its job. This practice is known as ‘dynamic pricing’. With this tactic, companies adjust their rates in response to customer demand. When demand is great, they will raise prices, and when demand is low, they will lower prices. Customers are treated unfairly by this, and it is difficult to figure out if you’re receiving a decent offer.
There are a few techniques to stay away from price-inflating websites. To determine a fair price for a product or service, you need first do some research on it. In order to find out whether there have been any complaints regarding inflated rates, you can also check customer reviews.
Checking various websites and comparing different prices is also important. Signing up for email notifications from travel websites is an additional option to receive the greatest deals. You will be informed in this way whenever there is a sale or a special offer.
Reading reviews is always a good idea before booking air tickets online. This way, you can be sure that you’re getting what you expect. To avoid being taken advantage of, it is important to know how to spot these inflated prices and how to avoid them.
Keep reading to learn more about online air ticket booking and how to avoid sites that inflate their prices!
Clear Browser Cookies
The price of your plane tickets increases in the space of a few minutes? You are certainly a victim of IP tracking. This dubious technique, popular with airlines and online travel sites, artificially inflates the price of tickets when you place an order. Imagine that you are booking a stay in Spain. Time to compare offers on a competing site… and the ticket price has already gone up. Frustrating, but not surprising. This marketing tracking method enables the website to maximize profits. Worse yet, it gives the impression that prices may continue to rise, which encourages the customer to rush into making a purchase.
Before going into search mode for the cheapest flight on the internet, you should know a few things about cookies. Always remember to empty cookies from time to time. There are different tools like ccleaner which can be used for this purpose. You can also use your browser’s private browsing in addition to clearing cache and cookies. When you have decided to buy your tickets on a computer, connect via your mobile phone to the same site (without being connected to WIFI and after having emptied the history and cookies) and compare the prices offered for the same criteria of research. You could well have good or bad surprises as to the new price displayed.
More and more people are wondering about the results of flight comparators on the internet. On the same computer, the prices displayed also depend on the browser and the browsing history. Some companies therefore use cookies and thus offer you more expensive prices over time. When you are ready to book, after having compared via one of the comparators on this page for example, you must always empty the cache and cookies saved on your computer.
Switch To Private Browsing
This specific browsing mode does not store any browsing data. To use it, you just have to go through your browser options and open a “new incognito window”. It is also advisable to delete your browsing history and cookies after each search on commercial sites.
When you have decided to buy your tickets online, connect via your mobile phone to the same site (without being connected to WIFI and after having emptied the history and cookies) and compare the prices offered for the same criteria of research. You could well have good or bad surprises as to the new price displayed… Sacred cookie!
Use A Public Connection
Most computers and smartphones have a WiFi adapter to connect to a “hotspot” or a public network. These days many networks are thus accessible. This way, your usual IP will not be identifiable.
Log In From Another Device
This is the simplest trick: do not use your own computer to do your research. Borrow that of your neighbor or a friend to prepare your holidays. You can also search from your smartphone or tablet.
Use a VPN or Proxy
These two systems, a little more complex, make it possible to cover the tracks but require downloading specific software. They hide or modify your IP address temporarily in order to go incognito on airline sites.
In Conclusion
Online air ticket booking sites frequently inflate their prices. This is a prohibited practice and so far no company has been caught red-handed. To avoid being taken advantage of, it is important to know how to spot these inflated prices and how to avoid them. IP tracking is popular with airlines and online travel sites.
It artificially inflates the price of tickets when you place an order. Always remember to empty cookies from time to time. You can also use your browser’s private browsing in addition to clearing cache and cookies.
Use a VPN or Proxy to hide your IP address temporarily in order to go incognito on airline sites. Do not use your own computer to do your research. Borrow that of your neighbor or a friend to prepare your holidays. Don’t look too much otherwise you will drive up the prices.
