Do VPNs unlock secret airfare deals?

"You can get cheaper flight tickets by using a VPN and appearing to the internet as if you were somewhere else."

I've read that claim many times, but I've had my doubts about its truthfulness. The theory goes that airlines offer different prices based on your geographic location. By using a VPN to appear as if you're browsing from a different country, you might get better deals. But is it true?

I was glad that a redditor asked about using a VPN to score better flight fares on r/IsItBullshit.

One commenter who claims to work in airline revenue management said, "Airlines are 'filing' or 'creating' fares based on Origin and Destination and not based on 'where you search them from on the internet'." They added that airlines are also using dynamic pricing, meaning "for any given flight, you could get a different price compared to the person sitting next to you for exactly the same flight search."

But another user disagreed. "I live in San Francisco and have been booking flights for my mom who lives in a small Texas city," they said. "I use a remote desktop program (Splashtop) to set up the flights on her PC so she can follow along and see the options etc."

"On multiple instances, I've seen lower fares while performing identical searches on my PC vs hers."

That said, some users reported success with rental cars and certain third-party booking platforms. One said, "It's saved us a few hundred buying flights between UK and Germany this year. That, train tickets, and rental cars had a very obvious change in price."

One commenter mentioned that for some South American airlines, using local IPs and browsing in Spanish gets cheaper prices. "Look up flights with local IPs and in Spanish for some South American Airlines, they are way cheaper in local currencies than in gringo USD prices."

Another user mentioned getting cheaper subscription services by having a Thai bank account and living in Thailand, but this wasn't specifically about using a VPN for flight bookings.

While VPNs might not work for airfare savings, they can still be useful for accessing region-locked content or booking sites.

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Previously:
Flight canceled? New law forces airlines to cough up cash immediately
United Airlines sucks
Woman sues American Airlines for outrageous sexual assault on flight to New Jersey
NAACP warns black people they aren't safe on American Airlines