Let’s talk about flight booking. We all know airlines are out to screw us over and no one wants to be the person who gets stuck paying the highest fare while flight booking. That’s why we spend hours upon hours in front of the computer, researching articles on airfare, and trying to game the system like we’re attempting to outsmart a used car salesman.
Some of these myths include:
MYTH #1: YOU SHOULD SEARCH INCOGNITO
This is the worst myth of them all. It makes sense. We all know that every company in the world uses cookies to track our online habits. So why wouldn’t airlines track us? There’s a belief that airlines are watching our browsing habits and then raising flight booking prices when they see us looking at the same route(s) over and over again. Turn them off, stop being tracked, and trick the system, right?
Except this is not true at all. There’s no evidence that airlines behave that way and numerous studies by booking companies have shown there is no variance in pricing when you use incognito mode. The average economy fare changes 61 times each day. Airlines use sophisticated software to change prices based on demand.
MYTH #2: IT’S BETTER TO BOOK ON A TUESDAY
These days, airlines use dynamic pricing and artificial intelligence to constantly change their pricing. The algorithms consider a variety of factors: historical and current demand, seasons, weather, particular events, etc. So there’s no “best day to book.” Waiting for a Tuesday likely won’t save you any money. Make your flight booking on whatever day you want.
MYTH #3: THERE’S A PERFECT TIME TO BOOK
Flight booking fares don’t actually change that dramatically. Until about 21 days before a flight, they are pretty steady. That doesn’t mean it couldn’t swing more radically. But, barring an event that drives up demand, flight booking fares tend to be in a narrow range up to 21 days before a flight. Generally speaking, the best time to book a flight is about 2-3 months ahead.
MYTH #4: WEBSITES CAN PREDICT FLIGHT BOOKING PRICES
Websites that predict flight booking prices are just taking an educated guess based on historical pricing. Don’t put too much stock in these predictions. Any occurrence can trigger a spike in demand for flight tickets, for example, a concert or other events can change the price of a ticket outside its historical range. Flight booking fares are incredibly volatile. There are a limited number of seats on planes and dozens of variables. From overall economic conditions to the price of oil, to competition from new budget airlines, to the difficulty of predicting travel interest for a specific flight 11 months from now. No one knows what the future holds. The recent pandemic is proof that modeling the future doesn’t work. These websites have no idea what future airfare will be and are just guessing.
While there are lots of myths circulating around flight booking, you can find the best flight deals at Raymart Aviation, with a plethora of options that guarantee you a memorable flying experience. Click here to get started today.