Deleting cookies/browser history before flight searches

[nate89]

Hi all,

Recently I have seen a few posts reminding people to clean browser history/cookies before looking up flight prices a second time on flight search engines. This is because the websites store your search data and when you come back they know you are more likely to buy than before.

I haven't knowingly experienced this first hand yet, but it definitely sounds plausible and there seem to be numerous reports confirming it.

Assuming this is true...
I was wondering if anybody noticed this happening on direct carrier websites? I only use QF, AA and EK with any regularity, but they seem mostly stable (EK being the most consistent).

I just want to know if I should be more careful than I have been historically! I tend to not use comparison sites for bookings, but it never crossed my mind until recently that the airlines could be cheeky as well!

Cheers,

 

[Hvr]

I use a program called ccleaner that clears all history including cookies. You need to close your browser and let it run. Well worth doing at the end of every session.

 

[Andyc]

I've never experienced it (or maybe just never realised) but if you want to be safe Google Chrome has "incognito mode" on its desktop and mobile browsers. This can be a good way to temporarily hide and block cookies without loosing the "remember me" cookies that you actually want to keep.

 

[Mal]

It's hard to distinguish between "flight not available due to low availability and a hold from a previous session has stopped it being shown", and "the website is manipulating results based on previous searches".

I suspect I've seen it happen with one online travel agent, but not 100% sure.

More infuriating is the use of cookies (soon to be blocked in Firefox) from ad agencies which know what flights you searched for, and later present options via advertising on other sites.

 

[Canny man]

OK. Hard facts on this.

We have just booked Oz UK flights in Y for the family in June. Started searching last week using QF site, EK site, and aggregators. As the week progressed the flights got more and more expensive - on all sites. Yesterday, wife said 'I'm going to book before they get any more expensive'. I reminded re cookies, and they hadn't been cleared since day 1 searching.

We cleared them and got the same price we started with last week. We booked and the saving re price with cookies came to $600 per head.

This is a blatent and manipulative rip-off that should be more widely known about.
Is it even legal?

 

[nate89]

Ouch.

Well okay then, the sites do indeed increase prices! As for whether it is legal or not I don't know. Maybe I will read into the T&C's for using the sites... my guess is legislation hasn't kept up with technology though so it probably is legal, but only via a loophole.

 

[samh004]

I block cookies from third parties and advertisers, but must admit don't really want to trash the others and lose settings for various sites

 

[albatross710]

OK. Hard facts on this.

We have just booked Oz UK flights in Y for the family in June. Started searching last week using QF site, EK site, and aggregators. As the week progressed the flights got more and more expensive - on all sites. Yesterday, wife said 'I'm going to book before they get any more expensive'. I reminded re cookies, and they hadn't been cleared since day 1 searching.

We cleared them and got the same price we started with last week. We booked and the saving re price with cookies came to $600 per head.

This is a blatent and manipulative rip-off that should be more widely known about.
Is it even legal?

anecdotally my friend and I also believe this to be true. A search over a couple of days shows that you are looking around and if the price is trending up then that is the exact attitude they want consumers to have...quick before it goes up even more.

unsure about legal, certainly not ethical.

 

[Paddy55]

OK. Hard facts on this.

We have just booked Oz UK flights in Y for the family in June. Started searching last week using QF site, EK site, and aggregators. As the week progressed the flights got more and more expensive - on all sites. Yesterday, wife said 'I'm going to book before they get any more expensive'. I reminded re cookies, and they hadn't been cleared since day 1 searching.

We cleared them and got the same price we started with last week. We booked and the saving re price with cookies came to $600 per head.

This is a blatent and manipulative rip-off that should be more widely known about.
Is it even legal?

I suspect this is not widely known at all... and quite a rip off IMHO :evil:

So much for appreciating loyalty from customers!

 

[DeKa]

You could try doing the search in your main browser, and at the same time in another browser which you cleared the cookies in. That's the only way you could really prove anything... Otherwise you never know, as an agent holding the cheaper fare classes un-ticketed may have just released them or something.

 

[albatross710]

You could try doing the search in your main browser, and at the same time in another browser which you cleared the cookies in. That's the only way you could really prove anything... Otherwise you never know, as an agent holding the cheaper fare classes un-ticketed may have just released them or something.

So a little bit of reasoned record keeping.


Date, Time, Itin search, Price Browser 1, Browser 2

Keep clearing Browser 2 each day.


I'm wondering if Google Chrome incognito browsing would suffice as Browser 2.

 

[puppysparkes]

So a little bit of reasoned record keeping.


Date, Time, Itin search, Price Browser 1, Browser 2

Keep clearing Browser 2 each day.


I'm wondering if Google Chrome incognito browsing would suffice as Browser 2.

You could also use duckduckgo which allows you to use URL parameters instead of cookies. It's my preferred browser to avoid bubbling.

 

[markis10]

AA.com has this issue according to some posts on FT after its redesign.

 

[nate89]

So a little bit of reasoned record keeping.


Date, Time, Itin search, Price Browser 1, Browser 2

Keep clearing Browser 2 each day.


I'm wondering if Google Chrome incognito browsing would suffice as Browser 2.

It and any other private mode should work. They dump all cookies at the end of your session.

 

[albatross710]

It and any other private mode should work. They dump all cookies at the end of your session.

What do you think about IP tracking from their end?

 

[nate89]

On the disclaimer that this is not confirmed fact...

Cookies are probably going to be more accurate from the travel sites standpoint. They store data locally that, if not deleted, is 100% accurate in identifying who the user is and what they were searching for. IP's on the other hand can reveal a large number of people searching on the website (think public WiFi or work Wifi).

I'm not saying that they don't do it, but given that customers have reduced prices significantly just by clearing cookies I wouldn't worry IP tracking right now.

 

[crm911]

I have had the opposite experience with Webjet. Do a search, then let it expire (~30 minutes?). Then refresh the page. I have sometimes seen a cheaper flight show up.

 

[albatross710]

I have had the opposite experience with Webjet. Do a search, then let it expire (~30 minutes?). Then refresh the page. I have sometimes seen a cheaper flight show up.

CRM911 that is good intel, as it does show that there is an awareness of the booking history if the session.

 

[Keelan]

Last night I experienced this on Qantas website. First search syd-canb global sale fares were showing up as $85, left, searched again and cheapest came up as a $139 red edeal. Cleared cookies and tried again - alas, $85 dollar fares were back!

 

[get me outta here]

Great forum. Bit OT, thanks Hvr for reminding me to download cccleaner. Did that, now seem to be using 'chrome' and it's all going much faster. Now for some price searches > deleting all the old history and c**p. (An added bonus is a spell chk on here for a non typist).