Airfare via VPN -- what am I doing wrong?

Factual Questions
1

So I’ve read articles about how using a VPRN and making it appear as though you are in in a different country can lead to significant airfare savings, versus buying tix from the US.

Well, today I tried just that.

Same computer, but I used different browsers, and cleared the browser cookies after each attempt.

I tried US as a control sample, then Mexico, Canada, and Germany.

Prices were essentially identical. Sure, they went between pesos and eruos, but when I used online currency converters they really were all basically identical prices.

In fact, I tried so many countries in such a short period of time that the US prices went up by $400 – I think I tricked the system into thinking demand was higher than it actually was. (So I didn’t buy the tickets, will wait until late tomorrow – about 30 hours after my last attempt – and try again.)

But… as for the VPN approach, it failed to make any difference at all.

Have airlines caught on to this trick? Or am I doing something wrong?

PS this was via American Airlines US site, and then I tried the Mexican site (appearing I was in Mexico, site in Spanish), and I got the same prices via Kayak and Expedia.

Damn, I hate those airline mergers. Really boned us customers. Can’t wait for the cable companies to merge, too.

:smack:

2

Isn’t it the case that you have to have a credit card registered in the country to get that country’s price.

With such a favourable exchange rate (for us) American prices for Caribbean cruises look very much cheaper than ours. The cruise lines will not allow us to book cruises on the American site, although some people with the right contacts, do it by pretending to be in the USA.

3

No idea about the registered credit cards. I never made it that far.