Ever wanted to book a flight, only to find out the fare has gone up? If it's been a week since you last searched the same route, you might not have batted an eye, but it's only been 10 minutes between both searches. What happened? How come the flight is now so much more than it was just a short moment ago?
What you're seeing is probably dynamic pricing, where businesses strategically shift their prices according to demand. If you're searching the same flight, airline, and route over and over again, you might see prices fluctuate like this, which can cause a lot of frustration. So, how can you avoid it? What's the smarter way to book your flights?
Go Private
The first thing you should do when you're about to search for flights is to go private. Don't use a regular browser window—go incognito. This way, websites can't track your cookies and how many times you've searched a particular route, or which airlines or times you're deciding between. Without this information, you'll see the real prices, not the dynamic ones.
Using incognito mode isn't always the solution, though; some websites may use advanced tracking methods, which means you'll still end up being affected by dynamic pricing if these vendors are confident you'll buy. Plus, if you're logged into your account, it won't matter whether or not you're in incognito mode.
Don't Dilly-Dally
While it's understandable that you want to be thorough in your search, it's not a good idea to stay on a site too long, or to repeatedly search the same flights. The more you dilly-dally, the higher the possibility that the prices will fluctuate on you.
This, of course, doesn't mean you should immediately purchase your flight the moment you search for it. But it does mean you should keep your sessions short, and book when it's the right time. If you're ever skeptical about the numbers you see and whether or not they've gone up on you, simply search the same flight on a different site. Or better yet, cross-check directly with the airline's official website. If other places list the same thing, then it's most likely that the fare has actually gone up.
Book Early
As mentioned, sometimes, it's not dynamic pricing you're seeing, but simply that the prices have gone up. When seats sell out at a certain price, airlines will inevitably start offering the remaining ones at a higher price point, especially if there's demand. If that's the case, it won't matter whether you clear your search history, your cookies, or hop onto a private browser window.
To avoid this problem altogether? Book early. As soon as you've fleshed out your travel plans and know exactly where and when you want to go, start searching for your flights and book them a few months in advance. As a general rule of thumb, you should book domestic flights 1-3 months ahead of time, and international flights at least three months before departure. Remember: the early bird gets the worm, and this is often the case for booking flights.
