Proxies for Travel Industry Data: Why Airlines and Hotels Don’t Want You to Know

John was always busy with work, but he had always wanted to take his family on vacation. This thought has been on his mind for years. One day, he decided to surprise his wife and two kids. He told them they would be going on a vacation to Bali. On this very evening, he opened his laptop to check the price of the flight tickets online and found it was $420. He planned to get this flight ticket after payday, so he decided to check again after a few days, and he discovered the price had increased from $420 to $600. He was left speechless. He tried checking the cost with another browser, and it was $560. Then checked with his phone, and it was $450.

 He reached out to his friend Sarah, who lived in another city, to see if the price was the same on her computer. She replied that the price was $420 from her end. He was shocked. Why does my ticket cost $600 and yours cost $420?

He consulted a travel specialist, who explained that hotels and airlines use cookies, location, and IP addresses to track user behaviour.

They constantly change the price when they know you are interested. The agent suggested that the only way to hide his identity and see real prices from another country was by using Proxies. He decided to check different prices in Singapore and London using proxies, and he noticed the price changed each time. He was convinced that websites weren't displaying the same price to everyone. The next day, John decided to get his flight tickets using proxies and saved up to $500. As the plane ascended towards Bali, a smile spread across his face because he realised he had finally outsmarted the system.

How Airlines and Hotels Manipulate Prices

You might be wondering how Airlines and hotels do this. Here is how they use intelligent systems to monitor what you do online, your behaviour, device, location and even the time you spend on a booking page.

1. Cookies and Local Storage

Whenever you visit an airline or hotel website, small files known as cookies are stored in your browser. These cookies let them know you have visited before, so when you return, they'll recognise you are serious and inflate the price.

2. Following your IP address

Your IP will tell the website the location from which you are browsing. Prices can change for the exact airline or hotel, depending on your country.

3. Tracking your browser

Even without cookies, websites can still gather a lot of information about your computer. They can see what apps you have, how big your screen is, and other things. This gives you a "fingerprint" that allows them to offer you a different service the next time you return.

4. Pushes and signals that tell you to act quickly

"There are only two rooms left!" "Price will go up in 10 minutes" to get people to move quickly. There are times when you really don't have enough; other times, it's just the way the prices are set to get you to act quickly.

The Role of Proxies in Travel Data Collection

Proxies are essential tools for collecting travel data, and let's see why most sites you visit love them.

●       Finding real prices from different countries: You can check how prices differ in New York, Paris or Dubai without going there. Only prices in your location will be available to you without proxies.

●       Spying on the rate of your competitors: With proxies, you can know what other companies are charging without being seen or caught.

●       Finding Listings That Are Fake or Duplicate: Companies use proxies to identify fake listings by checking multiple sites. Many travel companies struggle with scams and phoney hotel listings.

●       Looking into how a website performs in different places: Proxy servers enable developers to test a site from multiple countries, making it easier to identify and resolve errors.

●       Stopping Fraud and Abuse: Bots occasionally buy cheap tickets to resell.   Proxy servers detect unusual buying habits and protect clients from fraud.

Key Benefits of Using Proxies for Travel Industry Data

1.     Get Access to real Prices

Proxies enable you to view prices from other airlines and hotels across various countries. And you can also get updated offers.

2.     Stop Blocks and Restrictions

Some travel websites have limitations on how you can check their prices. But with proxies, you can bypass these limits, ensuring seamless data collection.

3.     Quick Market Update

Proxies will allow you to collect new data so many times that you don't have to rely on old reports.

4.     Create a Powerful Campaign

When you know precisely what your customer wants and what gets them excited, marketing is easy.

5.     Earning and keeping customers' trust

When you provide people with accurate pricing and options, they're more likely to return, fostering long-term relationships.

Want to go above and beyond what you know? You can read helpful tips, expert advice, and real case studies from the travel business on Proxywing’s blog. This is more than just a hub for articles; it's where travel professionals go to turn proxy data into more bookings, lower costs, and more trust from customers.

Challenges and Risks Without Proxies

If you own or run a travel business without proxies, it's like driving with one eye closed; you will arrive somewhere, but you will not notice the necessary details. These are some of the risks you will likely face:

●       Getting blocked when you repeatedly try to check the prices of a flight or hotel.

●       You will pay more to collect data information.

●       Customers will leave you if your prices are higher than your competitors.

●       Low bookings because of a lack of trust.

●       Your Customer service team is under more stress.

●       More likely to show prices that are no longer valid.

●       Finding it hard to guess how holiday prices will change.

●       Having trouble finding new locations.