Passengers have been told how to secure their airplane seat at the best price amid warnings airfares will continue to rise.
With summer on the horizon, many Scots will be shopping for online flights for a holiday that won’t break the bank. But according to experts, evolving technology may actually be working to ensure that flyers pay more for plane tickets that they could actually be getting for less.
For instance, those who look up a flight route multiple times may be presented with higher prices due to their strong interest. Luckily, insiders have shared a few airplane seat hacks to help holidaymakers get the best deals, which are good to know for those who aren’t the most internet savvy.
James Cole, Founder and Managing Director of Panache Cruises says that the huge rise in airfares has made understanding how to find the best deals more important than ever. Therefore, he advises travellers to shop around and utilising online tools like VPNs (Virtual Private Network) for broader comparisons.
Using a VPN means a person living in the UK can log on to the internet through a VPN, state they are in another country – America for example – and can see and purchase flights for the same price offered on US websites.
There are many websites where web surfers can sign up for their own VPN for a fee, but doing so could save money in the long run. A 12 month Express VPN subscription costs £6.74 a month, while signing up for Nord VPN is currently offering a two year plan at 71 per cent off – breaking down to just £3.19 a month with three extra months free included.
James said: “Average airfares across Europe were between 20-30 per cent higher over the summer of 2023 compared with 2019.
“Now, industry bosses are warning that high demand, supply chain issues and a trend towards greener fuels could push up flight prices again this summer. So we hope our insider tips gleaned from decades of experience in the fly cruise sector will help passengers get the best value flights for them.”
According to James, rather than booking directly on an airline’s website, there may be better offers on those same flights through price comparison sites like Skyscanner. He highlighted that such websites also make it easier for customers to identify the cheapest days to fly using easy-to-navigate calendars.
In addition, he said that “it can also pay” to use a VPN when searching for flights. Users of a VPN can search the internet as if they are located in another country, where the same flights might vary greatly in price.
Finally, those keeping an eye on flights should make sure to regularly clear their computer’s online cookies and cache, as these save your online information like search history, which will be remembered when shopping around for flight tickets.
This can cause the higher priced flights to be pushed to the customer, so clearing these systems each time will be like starting a fresh search.
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