@Lilyharper
Marketing tactics are not conspiracy theories, and no one is saying that anyone is ‘out to get them.’ But for-profit companies are 100% out to get dat money. Um, duh. Everyone knows they all go through great lengths to try to sell us more and how to increase profits and how to decrease overhead, etc., etc., etc. It’s all about making as much money as possible. Big companies, and even small companies, have teams/departments dedicated to figuring out how to make more money. Many of them hire outside firms who specialize in this and invest big bucks to conduct research and purchase our browsing data, all to help them achieve this goal, which is the ultimate/overall goal of, like, 93% of every company that exists. It’s far from a conspiracy theory.
@Vero
Google does this with their hotel listings too. LOTS of false ads.
@Brett
I fly every 14 days for work and use Google Flights exclusively. They do not show fares from resellers; not sure where you are getting that from.
Where Google Flights Gets Its Data:
- Global Distribution Systems (GDS):
- Google Flights uses GDS platforms such as Amadeus, Sabre, and Travelport, which are vast databases used by airlines, travel agencies, and OTAs to manage and distribute flight information.
- Airlines:
- Many airlines share their inventory, pricing, and schedules directly with Google, allowing for accurate and up-to-date information.
- Online Travel Agencies (OTAs):
- Google integrates data from OTAs like Expedia, Priceline, or Booking.com, offering users a broader selection of flight options.
- Third-Party Aggregators:
- In some cases, Google may also pull data from aggregators that consolidate airline and travel agency offerings.
- AI and Predictive Models:
- Google leverages machine learning and data analytics to provide predictions about fare trends, helping users decide whether to book now or wait.
@Keegan
What do you consider an OTA?
Google Flights doesn’t use cookies to increase prices or hide fares. I’ve seen prices even go down. Fares can, however, disappear and reappear quickly, especially on non-standard routings.
Because you aren’t booking direct. Google would need to pass on the information in real-time to change the price, which they don’t. When you book direct, the website of the provider can obviously use a cookie.
Out of desperation, I cleared all the cookies on my mobile and laptop and set my VPN to Mexico
You changed two variables. Thus no conclusion about the effect of clearing cookies can be drawn from this.
Is basic science not taught in schools anymore?
and used the incognito browser as usual
In incognito mode, it only ever has session cookies, so once you close the window, all cookies are cleared for that context.
@Milan
I’ve repeated it many times as have many others.
Charlie said:
@Milan
I’ve repeated it many times as have many others.
Yeah, but the thing is that nobody who has used rigorous testing and documented their process has ever shown it to be true.
@Milan
Somebody should though. Regardless, it feels awfully true to the person that’s experiencing it.
Charlie said:
@Milan
Somebody should though. Regardless, it feels awfully true to the person that’s experiencing it.
Anecdotes aren’t data.
And he’s saying that people have tested it, and repeatedly it has not held up.
Charlie said:
@Milan
Somebody should though. Regardless, it feels awfully true to the person that’s experiencing it.
Somebody should though.
People have tried doing controlled tests, and they have reliably failed to show an effect on airfares from clearing cookies.
Charlie said:
@Milan
I’ve repeated it many times as have many others.
No, you haven’t. You just think you have.
Charlie said:
@Milan
I’ve repeated it many times as have many others.
No, you haven’t. You just think you have.
I and you just think I haven’t. See, I can do that too.
I’ve always known airlines track cookies.
A while back, I asked for extra cookies on a flight, and they said I couldn’t have more because I’d already gotten mine. : [
Haru said:
I’ve always known airlines track cookies.
A while back, I asked for extra cookies on a flight, and they said I couldn’t have more because I’d already gotten mine. : [
I was on a flight with my dad one time, and he’s a frequent flyer for work, so on this flight he hit some milestone with the airline. The way the airline recognized him is that a flight attendant approached him and thanked him for his loyalty with the brand, and gave him two cookies.
It was almost insulting to receive those cookies as a reward, rather than not acknowledging his frequent flyer status at all.
Anyway, if you fly enough, you may get extra cookies from the airline.
: o)
But they probably also track those.
It was almost insulting to receive those cookies as a reward, rather than not acknowledging his frequent flyer status at all.
hahaha! it’s like the literal example of ‘good job. here’s a cookie!’
Also the airline parking services! Same parking spot searched on 2 different phones at the exact same moment: 55 vs 35 euros for a weekend.
Literally no one said they don’t track cookies, but this isn’t proof of it.
-
They can just track the dates and flight origin/destination. If anyone searches for an origin/destination for a specific set of days, searching for the same thing again can be tracked without cookies.
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When you start the booking process, that ticket is ‘held’ for a period of time. It very well could be that someone started the booking process and didn’t finish in time, just as you deleted your cookies.
@Onyx
Also, some people book it and cancel within 24 hours, so there is that.
@Onyx
You are right. The point OP is making (potentially incorrectly) is that your searches for flights on specific days to specific locations can be TRACKED.
It honestly doesn’t matter whether they use cookies or not. OP (and many others) only cares about cookies because they believe they can be tracked. Regardless of whether that’s true, OP believes their searches were tracked, and dynamic pricing adjusted based on their searches.