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Booking flights on-line, and your IP address
I have been talking with someone who flies often to the UK from Tenerife, and he reported that he has discovered a cynical ploy by agents when booking on-line. The flight ticket prices change all the time, we all know that. If you check the price of flight, and check again half an hour later, the price has changed. He claimed that this is because they remember your IP address. They register the fact that you have checked once, and reckon that when you check the second time, they anticipate you are going to purchase, so they increase the price. The price increase is rarely enough to put you off buying, and you have made your mind up anyway.
The message is - when you actually book, use a different computer to the one you made enquiries on - you will find that the price is the original one.
He also claimed that booking through Spanish sites is much cheaper than UK sites, because Brits are supposed to have more money, so they pitch the prices accordingly.
Is there any truth in all this? I can hardly believe it.
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Antes se coge al mentiroso que al cojo.
The Following 11 Users Say Thank You to Periklęs For This Useful Post:
Sadly it is true,we knew a Travel Agent in Gran Canaria and she told us that it was best to book at the first price shown because if you went back to the site a second time the price would invariably increase. It certainly happens with Ryanair and I'm sure it also happens with other operaters as well.
John
The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to John&Linda For This Useful Post:
I have been talking with someone who flies often to the UK from Tenerife, and he reported that he has discovered a cynical ploy by agents when booking on-line. The flight ticket prices change all the time, we all know that. If you check the price of flight, and check again half an hour later, the price has changed. He claimed that this is because they remember your IP address. They register the fact that you have checked once, and reckon that when you check the second time, they anticipate you are going to purchase, so they increase the price. The price increase is rarely enough to put you off buying, and you have made your mind up anyway.
The message is - when you actually book, use a different computer to the one you made enquiries on - you will find that the price is the original one.
He also claimed that booking through Spanish sites is much cheaper than UK sites, because Brits are supposed to have more money, so they pitch the prices accordingly.
Is there any truth in all this? I can hardly believe it.
remember the IP adress ? I really dont believe this
IP's for most private users are alocated dynamicly (unless you ordered and paid for a fixed one), and it would require a lot of server processing to have a system to handle that. IE you went to look for a flight to place A, left, and went to look for a flight to place B. The amount of traffic and data this intelligent queries would create in their system would be very substancial, and it would also be in violation of the EC data protection act.
What they do is leave a cookie (not the tasty ones that is ) on you PC, that you visited their site, and then if come back, the cookie might tell the server, this person was here 10 min ago, so he gets pricing B (which can be +10% or whatever) higher.
Still this also requires some advanced functionality.
However this is easily remedied. Erase the cookies from your webbrowser, or use the new functionalities such as Private browsing, which does not allow them to place cookies on your PC.
My best advice, buy directly from the Airlines
I do, and I have NEVER found an agency that beats the airline price
My GirlFriend & I, fly each 8-10 times a year
__________________ A donde el corazon se inclina, el pie camina.
Last edited by Nico; 04-12-09 at 17:25.
The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to Nico For This Useful Post:
I agree Nico. I must admit I only fly monarch (creature of habbit) but I can look and look and look and the prices stay the same , some times for a few days to a couple of weeks.
The Following User Says Thank You to pelinor For This Useful Post:
Someone told me exactly the same as what Nico is saying about deleting the cookies....have definately noticed the price is always more when you go back on.....although, I booked a flight to Tenerife for my brother 2 wks ago for 20/12.....he looked about 4 times before deciding to go for it, and he said the price kept going up bit by bit.....strangely he had a look today and it is Ł30 less than what he paid?!!
The Following User Says Thank You to Helena and Shiel For This Useful Post:
I've noticed price changes after deleting history/cookies, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse..... So I don't believe the "remember IP address" theory for higher prices.
I travel several times a year, and always book online
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The Following User Says Thank You to cazten For This Useful Post:
Thanks for the tip.....will ensure I delete cookies all the time...the flights cost enough as it is, especially as we still have to fly around the school holiday times!
They could easily do it through cookies - however I have many times seen the same price after revisiting so not sure about this.
When we fly to Venezuela, we get someone to go to the Iberia office in Caracas and get the prices for the tickets (and pay) in Bolivares (local mickey mouse currency which we can buy on the black market.)
Last time we did this it cost 700€ for two of us return flights.
Would have cost about 2,000€ had we booked through Iberia Spain....
Cheapest returns between now and New Year is about 300€ locally or 1,800€ through Spain (per person!!!)
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The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Andy For This Useful Post:
I noted on Thomsonfly site that the price went up when viewing later (easily done via a cookie), although it may just have been that the plane was filling up fast hence the price went up for the few remaining seats left.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to shanwick oceanic For This Useful Post:
Booking flights on-line, and your IP address 
) on you PC, that you visited their site, and then if come back, the cookie might tell the server, this person was here 10 min ago, so he gets pricing B (which can be +10% or whatever) higher.
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