Realized I was booking flights all wrong after a trip to Chicago

I flew to Chicago last month and paid $280 for a round trip. My buddy got the same flight for $160 because he used a private browser and booked on a Tuesday around midnight. I always thought that was a myth but he showed me his receipt. Has anyone else noticed a big difference from clearing your cookies before searching?

3 comments

3 Comments

webb.ben16d ago

Wait, are we really convinced that opening an incognito tab is some kind of magic bullet? I've tried the whole private browser thing a few times and it seemed like a coin flip whether the price went down or not. The one time I actually saw a lower price, I'm not sure if it was the cookies or just the time of day because I was booking at like 2am and was half asleep. Did you check the exact same flight and day, or could it have been a different fare class your buddy snagged?

joseph_ellis8524d ago

Clearing cookies before booking does make a difference. I tested it myself a few years back when I was looking at flights to Florida. Checking the same flights in a private window saved me about 40 dollars each time. It seems like the airlines track your searches and bump the price up if they see you coming back.

davis.ruby24d ago

Nodding along with @joseph_ellis85 here. I once cleared my cookies so many times before booking a trip my browser started to look like a ghost town. Still paid full price though, because my dumb luck is that strong. Maybe the airlines just know I'm desperate and easy to spot.