Some people tend to be concerned about cookies – browser cookies, that is – but there’s no real need for it. Below, we’ll look into what cookies are, why you shouldn’t be concerned and what momondo uses them for.

What are cookies anyway?

Cookies are bite-sized files of information that are stored on your computer’s hard drive, and that your browser accesses when it needs to. You can in fact manage all your cookies at any time. Doing this depends on what browser you’re using. Just Google, “How to manage cookies”, and the top hit should guide you through.

The purpose of cookies is to make your browsing experience smoother. When you first visit a site, and accept their cookie policy (more on that below), the site places a cookie on your hard drive. When you revisit that site, it accesses the cookies and thus ‘remembers’ any choices, e.g. language, page layout, etc., so the site is ready for you every time you visit that site.

Does momondo use cookies?

Yes, we do. You might have noticed that when you visit momondo.com, the last origin, destination and travel dates you entered will still be there.

We use cookies in order to make our services as personal and as easy to use as possible for you. We also use them to make sure the site remembers what language and currency you selected last time you visited from the same device, for targeted advertising (e.g. hotels and flights we think you’ll be interested in).

We also use third party cookies to constantly improve our services. We consider how visitors use and move around our site, and adjust things accordingly.

We want you to know that we have never, and will never, sell your data to a third party, and the cookies we use never store sensitive information, meaning we can’t see who you are.

Do you use cookies to push up flight prices?

No. Not only would it go against everything we stand for; it would be impossible for us to do so. We are completely dedicated to full transparency, and aim to show you the best online prices available when they make a search.

The results you see are all taken from external sites and are 100% independent of momondo. Because we don’t sell anything ourselves, we have no interest in pushing up the price and are completely unable to affect the price in any way.

The prices you see on the results page are collected from online travel agencies, airlines and booking sites. Because you haven’t visited these sites yourself, you are completely anonymous meaning that you are always shown the lowest price available at the time of search. There is no way for the individual site to recognise you based on our cookies.

However; flight prices are dynamic, and can fluctuate according to supply and demand. This means there is a real possibility of prices being different from one day to the next – or even on the same day.

So how can I be sure to get the best price?

Flight Insight – everything you need to know

There are a number of ways you can plan to get the best price for your flight. Check out Flight Insight after you’ve made your search (click on the link towards the top right corner), to see how the price changes depending on six variables:

  • Day of week
  • Time of day
  • Seasonality
  • Airline
  • Airport
  • Days to departure

Instant overview of estimated prices

Once you’ve made your search, look at Price Calendar shown above the results. This gives you an instant indication of savings that could be made by travelling on different days.

Stay on top of the price with a Fare Alert

If you’ve found a flight you’re interested in, but aren’t completely ready to book, set up a Fare Alert (the orange button next to the search results). You’ll receive a maximum of two emails a week notifying you of any price increases – or decreases – for that flight, keeping you up-to-date.

You should also keep our Annual Flight Study in mind. Based on 13 billion fares and detailed insights in to our 100 most popular routes, it shows that it’s best to book 56 days in advance, fly on a Tuesday and in the evening.

So, there you have it. Cookies are (almost) as good as the soft and gooey kind that go well in a glass of milk.

You can read more about our cookie policy, or if you have more questions, visit our Help page. For more expert travel tips and insights, head to momondo Inspiration.