Are those browser cookies bumping up flight prices?

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By Kate Webster

Skyscanner Australia has debunked the long-standing rumour that airlines and travel agents increase prices once they know that a certain user or computer has gone back to re-check flight details as nothing more than a travel myth.

The rationale is that if someone returns to a site, it shows they’re more interested in making payment and as such can be charged more for their flights.

So just how did Skyscanner come to this conclusion?

What are cookies?

Apart from those yummy snacks that get you past that 3pm wall on a Friday afternoon, a cookie is a file stored on your computer that records data specific to the sites you visit. These can hold useful information like your location, the types of things you’ve searched for in the past and your username, which can all be used to streamline your user experience. Many cookies are destroyed once you close your browser window, but others are designed to last a long time.

Is it true that airlines use cookies to increase prices?

While the rumours about this issue are rife, there is no strong evidence confirming the issue. While it’s true that prices may go up when you return to a site, this is more likely due to other issues. Flight prices naturally rise closer to travel day and also when more seats on the plane are sold. There is no reliable information at the moment that flights become cheaper when clearing cookies or using a different computer to access a website. To find out how to get the best flight deals, Skyscanner has researched the best time to book a flight (for both domestic and international routes).

How can I delete or disable cookies?

Although there’s no evidence that clearing cookies makes flight prices lower, if you want to be extra sure there’s no harm in trying. Cookies are handled by your browser and you can change settings as you please. The way you delete your cookies depends on the web browser you use. For recent Chrome releases, for example, simply go to the Settings section, click on ‘Show Advanced Settings’ and then ‘Clear Browsing data’. All your cookies will be deleted and you’ll be able to see if the price changes. Cookies can also be disabled completely, usually by changing the privacy settings in your browser.

How do cookies affect Skyscanner search results?

Skyscanner search results do not change due to cookies. While we use cookies to remember things like your recent searches (when and where you might want to fly), the prices we show are given to us directly by airlines, booking sites and travel agents. The system we use to get these prices from external sites is anonymous. Even if cookies did push the cost up, it wouldn’t be reflected in the prices that we show to you.

How can I get the best deal on flights?

As mentioned above, one of the best ways to get cheap flights is by booking at the right time. When this time is changes by the destinations involved but, as a general rule, you’ll want to book 6 weeks ahead for trips to New Zealand, 15 weeks ahead for flights to London and 28 weeks ahead for holidays in the United States (all flying from Australia).

Skyscanner also provides Price Alerts. Once you sign up for these, you will be kept abreast of price changes for routes you’re interested in.

Being flexible also helps you get the best deal for flights. Skyscanner has a load of hacks to find better prices. Two of the most useful are to search by the whole month to see which dates have the lowest fares and also to search for flights to everywhere, which will show which destinations have the best deals available.

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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