Airlines are getting sneaky with their flight prices and these are the mistakes travellers are making when booking flights, travel expert gives top tips on how to avoid making these errors
Summer sun, laying down on the beach, having a dip in the pool, all things you want to enjoy without hefty flight prices.
The more you refresh that page, the higher they go. However, there are some nifty hacks when booking that will help avoid that surge in prices and ensure you are still under the holiday budget.
Travel expert at Transfeero, Andrea Platania gives advice on what to do for your next holidays: “Using incognito or private browsing stops airlines and booking platforms from tracking your search history and adjusting fares.” It comes after a warning to Brit tourists planning all-inclusive holidays to Spain.
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When you go onto Google Chrome, “it’s the three dots in the top right and ‘New Incognito Window’. Safari has a ‘Private Window’ “under the File menu, and Firefox gives you the option through its menu button. It only takes seconds, but it can save you hundreds.”
Another hack is to clear your cookies. “Cookies store your browsing behaviour, and travel sites can use that data to increase prices if they think you’re keen. Wipe them and you reset the game.”
Andrea continues and says that doing this and also setting price alerts on various sites: Google Flights, Skyscanner or Hopper will make sure that when ‘fares dip, you’ll be the first to know and that’s often the moment to book before they shoot up again.
Summer booking hacks most travellers miss out on
If your flexible with your booking that will help you out considerably. In the mid-week, prices are lower, and early departures and late landings are your best friend because the savings are immense.
Andrea says: “If you’re booking for August, avoid Sunday returns, it’s one of the priciest travel days. Try Tuesday or Wednesday instead, even if it means an extra day off work.”
Checking nearby airports can save you a substantial amount. Taking a short train journey can save you a little. And what may seem like a “light” fare and a bargain may be a scam due to the baggage costs. “That £50 ticket can easily jump to £150 when you add a carry-on,” Andrea adds.
Any last-minute getaways the VPN tactic is there. Change your online location to where flights are sold cheaper typically. It may not always work, but when and if it does, there are decent savings.
Multiple airlines release new fares on Tuesday afternoons or Wednesday mornings. Checking on those days can help get those lower fares before others.
Mistakes that cost you money
Don’t search for the same route over many days using the same device. “It signals urgency, and the algorithms will exploit that,” Platania warns.
Next, booking close to weekends or bank holidays, is peak time for high fare prices. And, airlines are also aware of those that wait till payday because they know people will frantically book and there will be a spike in fare prices.
Don’t be fooled by the “Only 2 seats left at this price” as Andrea says it’s not always genuine, sometimes “it’s marketing psychology at its finest,” “Don’t panic-book unless you’ve checked the same flight on a second device or different booking site.” Make sure you are well aware of the sneaky tricks that airlines do to make sure you can enjoy that budget-friendly holiday.
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