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Three everyday flight booking ‘hacks’ that DON’T work – and one that does, according to experts
Even sites that promise to find the best deals might not be as effective as thought
TRAVEL experts have revealed three everyday flight booking hacks that don't work - and one that does.
When it comes to booking many holidaymakers are tempted to try social media "hacks" to get cheaper fares - but do they actually work?
1
INCOGNITO MODE
One of the flight booking myths that is widely believed is that if you use incognito mode to view booking sites anonymously you can get cheaper prices.
This makes sense as it’s common knowledge that companies track our browsing histories to personalise their advertisements.
But, no matter how often you look at the same flights, the research showed this hack won’t actually lead to different prices in most cases.
A study by hoppa exposed this myth and showed there are only marginal differences between non-incognito and incognito browsers.
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It also found prices stay the same most of the time.
Matthew Hall from hoppa explained to : “Flights are priced according to supply and demand, and generally lower priced tickets sell out first, leading to price hikes for last-minute tickets.
He added that other factors affect ticket prices too which can cause them to fluctuate on a day-to-day basis but he said browsing histories does not appear to be one of them.
However, sometimes incognito mode did seem to affect the availability of certain booking options with third parties on comparison sites.
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CHEAP TUESDAY
This idea behind this myth comes from the belief that flights are cheaper to book mid-week because there is less demand for them then.
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The research from hoppa also debunked this
They found that on the Jet2 flight they were tracking from Leeds Bradford to Faro the cost was 12 per cent higher on a Tuesday.
This was compared to the cheapest day they analysed which was actually Sunday.
Matthew from hoppa explained the day you book does not usually affect the price much and said: “Low-cost deals can become available on any day and at any hour.
PRICE COMPARISON SITES
Popular price comparison sites like Google Flights or Skyscanner promise to find customers the best deals.
They work by comparing thousands of flights and working with lots of third-party booking providers.
Hoppa’s research revealed they don’t actually always show the lowest available price.
During the study, the comparison sites offer lower priced deals on certain days, but the potential savings were very small, and never more than about £10 per flight.
For some flights the price comparison websites didn’t show the direct airline booking option, which often turned out to be the cheapest at that time.
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Matthew finished with one travel tip that does work.
He said: “Generally speaking, the best way to reduce the costs of your holiday is to book as early as possible, while avoiding peak travel times such as weekends and school holidays.”
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