Those booking last-minute holidays or planning getaways later in the year may see prices suddenly increase as they search for flights and accommodation. This is because many travel companies use tracking software to predict when and where you’re going to book, and then subsequently increase the prices.
Ricardo Seixas from One Day Agency has highlighted how companies are using AI-powered prediction tools that analyse past purchases, search history, and social media activity to target customers with more personalised holiday ads than ever before. But there are ways that you can protect yourself from these increases. Ricardo has advised internet users to reject any pop-ups offering cookie consent options.
He said: “Most people tick consent boxes without reading them properly. They don’t realise how much access they’re giving to their personal information.”
Instead of ticking the box, Ricardo recommends clicking on ‘Reject All’ if that’s available, or ‘More Options’ and turn off any possibility for targeted ads and cookie tracking.
How do cookies work?
Ricardo said: “What many don’t realise is that cookies can track when someone is planning a holiday up to three months in advance.
“The algorithms pick up tiny digital breadcrumbs we leave online like increased searches for sun cream, flight prices, or swimwear.”
When looking for flights or accommodation for a holiday, you may find that the prices have gone up when you return to the website.
This is because cookie tracking software, as well as more advanced AI software tools, can detect consumer patterns. This benefits companies as they can hike up the prices once the software detects that you’re planning on travelling to a specific destination or on a particular date.
The technology used for this is similar to that of dynamic pricing, which many people have had frustration with when they’ve been trying to purchase concert tickets.
If you’ve already allowed cookies on these sites, Ricardo advises turning them off before booking anything.
To delete cookies, all you need to do is:
- On your browser, find the History information and click on this.
- Find the option to Delete All Browsing Data
- Ensure that you select Delete All Cookies
In three simple steps, you will have removed these from your browsing session. You can then try to look for the same trip without the price shooting up when you go to book it.