When it comes to travel advice, there are a lot of common misconceptions floating around the web. And Scott's Cheap Flights is here to bust them all. "Airfare is incredibly volatile," Scott Keyes, the founder and chief flight expert, tells Travel + Leisure. "It's always yo-yoing around. And it doesn't follow the same patterns as most other things we buy."
Indeed, there's a lot of bad travel advice out there, and yes, there are a few myths we've fallen for too. It's OK, everyone wants to get the best deal possible, so why not try everything, right? But, to save you some time, Scott's Cheap Flights has debunked three more booking myths so you can skip these and get onto the good stuff instead.
No, your search history doesn't affect flight prices.
According to the flight search company, many people incorrectly assume that the airlines are manipulating prices based on a customer's past flight searches. But "if this was true, the Flight Experts at Scott's Cheap Flights would have a much harder time finding deals," the company said in an email. "We run thousands of searches every day, day after day. If prices were rising based on those previous searches, we'd see it."
Yes, the company adds that airlines and online travel agencies (OTA) usually access a person's IP address, but the airline or OTA uses that information to provide accurate location-related details like language and currency — not to manipulate prices based on your activity.
If the price changes mid-search, it's likely a coincidence.
If a person sees significant changes to airline ticket costs between searches, Scotts Cheap Flights says it's likely a coincidence.
"If the price happens to change between searches, there could be a number of factors at play," the company says. It notes that prices fluctuate all the time, and it's possible that the price simply increased in the few minutes between searches. Then, the price could have increased due to demand. If a seat is sold, the price rises to the next bracket.
"While airline and OTA sites are tracking things like your location, they aren't obsessively tracking your searches to sneakily increase the prices on flights they know you're interested in," the company says.
Sure, you can clear your cookies if it makes you feel better.
According to Scott's Cheap Flights, there's no harm in clearing your cookies or searching for a flight in your browser's incognito mode, but know it won't do anything for you. However, there are other things you can do to save. First, try searching in what they call the "Goldilocks window," which sits 2-8 months ahead of international flights and 1-3 months for domestic. Next, try to remain flexible with dates and always try your best to avoid peak travel times. Of course, always be ready to click "buy" the second you see a deal that suits you. Check out Scott's Cheap Flights for more way to save on air travel.
FAQs
However, airlines say prices change not because of a consumer's search history on a website, or their cookies, but because of inventory updates or glitches on the website, FareCompare's Rick Seaney said in an email.
How do I clear my flight search cookies? ›
How to Clear Cookies on Your Web Browser For the Cheapest Flights
- Click the menu button on your browser's toolbar.
- Click on "Settings"
- Click "Show Advanced Settings"
- Find the "Privacy" section, and click "Content Settings"
- Find the "Cookies" section, and click "Delete Cookies"
In Chrome
- On your computer, open Chrome.
- At the top right, click More. Clear browsing data.
- Select a time range, like Last hour or All time.
- Select the types of information you want to remove.
- Click Clear data.
Timing plays an important part. Specifically, plane tickets usually don't get cheaper closer to the departure date or if you book too early—more than five months in advance. Instead, flights tend to be the least expensive when you book between 5.5 and 1.5 months (164 and 46 days) in advance of your departure date.
Do flight prices go down at night? ›
The majority of passengers prefer to travel during the day, which leads to multiple vacant seats for midnight flights. To fill out those vacant seats, the airline has no choice but to reduce the prices. Different flight options - You will get multiple flight options during the night for short and long-duration flights.
Do flight prices go down on Tuesday? ›
The myth has been going around for years, but the truth is that flight prices don't go down on Tuesdays. To be fair, they did at one point in time, and savvy travelers could score a great deal late on a Tuesday night.
Do cookies influence flight prices? ›
Browser cookies do not affect flight prices. It is a common myth that your search history dictates the prices airlines show you, but it is simply not true. Here is how the myth started and ways you can actually find cheaper flight deals.
Why does clearing cookies work? ›
Deleting the cache and cookies data regularly helps to troubleshoot, helps to increase the loading time of web pages, loads new versions of web pages and increases the performance of your computer.
What is the key to clear browser cache? ›
Below are instructions on how to clear the cache and cookies on different Internet browsers. NOTE: The keyboard shortcut to clear cookies and cache for Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer is Ctrl + Shift + Delete.
How do I permanently clear my browser cache? ›
In Chrome, open a new tab and close all other Chrome tabs and windows. Near the top right, open the Options menu (⋮) and select Clear browsing data. From the Time range drop-down menu, choose your desired range; to clear your entire cache, select All time.
When you use a browser, like Chrome, it saves some information from websites in its cache and cookies. Clearing them fixes certain problems, like loading or formatting issues on sites. Computer AndroidiPhone & iPad.
What day of the week do flight prices drop? ›
When are flights cheapest during the week? Midweek. Flights that take off and land on weekends, or Mondays and Fridays generally cost more. So aim for Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
What is the cheapest day to buy flights? ›
As previously mentioned, booking airfare on Sunday is cheaper than other days of the week, especially Fridays. Be willing to fly mid-week. Since Thursdays tend to be the cheapest day to fly, see if you can tweak your travel plans so you depart and fly home during the week instead of on weekend days. Set price alerts.
What day is cheapest to book flights? ›
According to a study by Expedia, the cheapest day to book flights is Sunday. When comparing Sunday flight prices to Friday, Expedia found that travelers save 5% on domestic flights and 15% on international flights.
Do plane ticket prices go up or down closer to event? ›
The airlines make more aggressive (and reliable) price increases the closer you get to departure day. This year, the fare spikes start right around 21 days from your travel date. If you choose to roll the dice, you'll spend 8% more than buying flights in the Prime Booking Window.
What is the cheapest day to book flights? ›
The price of your flight depends on a variety of factors, not just the day you book it and the day you fly out. However, data from Expedia's 2024 Air Travel Hacks Report shows that consumers can save money by booking on Sundays and flying out on Thursdays.
Do flight prices go down on certain days of the week? ›
Saturdays and Mondays are the next cheapest days to fly after midweek flights. The average airfare is about 13%-15% lower on these days. That means if you move your trip just one day forward or one day back from Sunday, you can usually save about $50 per ticket.
Do flight prices change daily? ›
We stress that doesn't mean you should book your ticket as soon as you hit that window, though. Airfare prices can fluctuate daily so you should wait until you find a cheap flight, and then jump on it before it's gone.
