Outsmarting "Sneaky" Flight Searches

I came across a question on the Travel Carnival, originally asked on Nathan's Archive blog. But before I give my answer, here's a little background. In case you didn't know it, the "biggie" travel search sites sneak a cookie into your web browser that lets their booking systems know when you've last visited the site, and even details your specific travel search. Why is that such a big deal? Because with that cookie, the site knows if you've been searching for a particular fare and can alter the results it ultimately shows you based on that information. I don't have scientific proof, but my experience has shown that the fare can actually get a bit higher with every search. Or you may not be offered the lower price should a fare go down for some reason. I guess the airlines figure you're a serious shopper and that you'll probably jump at the higher fare as you see it start inexplicably going up and up. So how can you combat this "sneaky" practice? When you're ready to make a final travel purchase, simply delete the cookies from your browser before doing a search so you appear to be a "new" user of the site. Even Frommer's Budget Travel suggests this procedure. Deleting cookies is usually done from the Preferences menu of your browser under the "Privacy" section. Search the Help for your browser for specific cookie deletion instructions. Sneaky, huh?