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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

airlines should be banned from increasing prices the more you search

167 replies

stolenview · 11/06/2015 18:17

This pisses me off no end. The more you search for a particular flight the higher its cost goes. Even ba do this shady thing! Luckily I know that you just have to clear all your cookies and start again to get the original price. But they must trick millions out of people that don't know how to do it.

OP posts:
cathcustard · 14/06/2015 20:20

Lanzarote fare £477.
I've never been on the Ryanair site before but I wonder if it's somehow picked up my BA searches.

wanttosqueezeyou · 14/06/2015 20:29

I'm getting £477 for the Manchester lanzarote search. Same as ego. This only demonstrates that the prices have gone up today. Not that cookies are being used.

43cupsoftea · 14/06/2015 20:49

This happened to me this week. Went on the computer to book flights. Got to pay page and price was £630. Got distracted. Went back in about 15 mins, session had timed out so had to start again. Price went up to £680. In less than 15 minutes. Ryanair!

budgiegirl · 14/06/2015 21:03

I'm getting £477 for the Manchester lanzarote search. Same as ego. This only demonstrates that the prices have gone up today. Not that cookies are being used.

I agree. I was getting £450 when I tried earlier, now I'm getting £477, from the same computer. I then tried going in 'incognito', and I'm still getting £477. So nothing to do with cookies, the price has just simply gone up (due to someone booking, or maybe the level of interest we are creating?

Mehitabel6 · 14/06/2015 21:40

I can't say for Ryanair- I avoid them. It works every time with National Rail and it has worked with EasyJet, but that was 16 months ago. National Rail worked only 2 weeks ago.

Shakey1500 · 14/06/2015 21:53

I agree about level of interest etc and also understand that prices can fluctuate very quickly. And that it probably isn't anything to do with cookies.

But what about DH and I checking the exact same thing at the same time on different devices? And getting roughly the same price differences checking again?

Egosumquisum · 14/06/2015 21:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Bowwowchikkawowwow · 14/06/2015 22:32

Thomas Cook definitely do this, as soon as i delete cookies the price goes back down.

GoofyIsACow · 14/06/2015 22:45

I have just tested it with the trainline and it was exactly the same...

Incognito and normal

BonzoDooDah · 14/06/2015 23:02

Maybe Easyjet don't do it but as Bowwow say Thomson DO. ABsolutely DO!
I obsessively checked my Holiday (not just flights) and it went up and up. I booked it.
Then I read about the cookies thing and was LIVID! I deleted my cookies, tried again and the price was £300 cheaper than the price I had paid.
Grrrr!!!!
I checked a few more times and the price went up.
It bloody does happen and is immoral.

Mehitabel6 · 15/06/2015 05:13

It at least means that you shouldn't take anyone's word for it- it is just worth a try- maybe it will - maybe it won't - but it is hardly difficult to clear the cookies to see!

lolalotta · 15/06/2015 05:28

:-O

Theycallmemellowjello · 15/06/2015 05:48

I think the price goes up and down according to how many people have bought the flight rather than the individual's search history. Ie the price fluctuates over time for everyone. General buying patterns are obviously a better way to judge popularity than a search history - why would you be more likely to pay more because you'd searched for the flight before?

Mehitabel6 · 15/06/2015 05:53

I have no idea! But if you want to persist in believing it is a myth and won't take a few seconds to clear the cookies then just pay more. I shall continue to do what works for me and get the cheaper price.

Mehitabel6 · 15/06/2015 05:55

I book tickets regularly with National Rail and it happens every single time- therefore I shall continue to clear the cookies. I prefer my own experience rather than people telling me it doesn't happen when I know it does!

Mehitabel6 · 15/06/2015 05:56

I don't book so often with Easyjet but it has happened there too.

BonzoDooDah · 15/06/2015 13:29

The thing is you can't prove a negative. "It didn't happen" [this time] does not equal "it does not happen"

What is a better result: potentially saving money by performing a small task, or losing £300 (like I did) by not knowing?

Whathaveilost · 15/06/2015 13:37

I've been looking at the same flights for Norway, ( in July) Finland (September) and Ireland ( October) for a few months now, sometimes several times a week ( even a couple of times on the same day and only one price has alters by £10 and that is the July one.
I haven't gone on to private browsing for it either.

wanttosqueezeyou · 15/06/2015 13:46

Manchester - Lanzarote has dropped to £403 today.

I haven't cleared my cookies.

budgiegirl · 15/06/2015 14:24

*Manchester - Lanzarote has dropped to £403 today.

I haven't cleared my cookies.*

Just checked , it's the same for me, both before and after clearing cookies.

DrJacoby · 15/06/2015 15:52

The Lanzarote flight has dropped for me, too, to 403. Haven't cleared cookies.

BreconBeBuggered · 15/06/2015 16:11

All these punters apparently baulking at £447. Poor old Ryanair.

Shakey1500 · 15/06/2015 17:07

I think they're reading the thread Wink Grin

DrJacoby · 15/06/2015 17:26

Maybe if we keep up a sustained effort of searching the price will hit rock bottom and we can all have a cheap Mumsnet holiday.

Mind you, I live in South America so it might be false economy for me.

ItsNotAsPerfectAsItSeems · 15/06/2015 17:34

I think most companies don't do this. However, I think Thom/FC and RA are famous for it. I have actually checked this on the FC website a few years ago and it was different on home and dh's work computer within 20mins.