We already did the homework on the library hack. Remember? In May, we reported that the viral theory about booking flights on a public library computer has no basis in fact, per travel experts and a Washington Post investigation. Prices change based on seat availability, demand, and real-time variables. Your search history plays no role.

But the underlying frustration is real. Airfares are up 20% year over year. Ergo, people are looking for every edge they can find.

Enter @aub.flighthacks, a former flight attendant who took to Instagram to share four tips she now gives friends and family after leaving the industry. We looked into each of them.

Hack 1: Book your flight on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday

She says, “Sit down and purchase your tickets on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday.” Not flying on those days. Buy on those days.

The evidence is more complicated. According to Expedia’s 2026 Air Hacks Report, Friday is currently the cheapest day to buy flights. Booking on a Friday can save up to 3% compared to Sunday, the most expensive day to book. Tuesday does not appear in the 2026 data as the best day to buy.

Tuesday and Wednesday hold up as departure days. Flights leaving on Tuesdays and Wednesdays run roughly 14% cheaper than Sunday departures on domestic routes, per KAYAK, and 10 to 20% cheaper on international routes, per FareCompare. Saturday is mixed: some data lists it as a cheaper departure day, while other data groups Friday and Saturday together as the pricier options.

If she means fly on those days, she’s largely right. If she means purchase on those days specifically, 2026 data points to Friday as the better call, per Expedia.

Hack 2: Stay Up Until 3 or 4 AM

She recommends booking really late at night or really early in the morning — specifically around 3 to 4 AM — because, as she puts it, “cheapest flights are always then for some reason.”

And there is some statistical basis for this. According to Refare, the window between 1 and 3 AM ET is more likely to see price activity because airlines sometimes load new promotional fares or clear out unsold lower-tier seats during off-peak hours. When a competitor drops prices late at night, pricing algorithms commonly stabilize their response during that quiet window.

That said, modern airline pricing updates continuously around the clock, according to Dollar Flight Club. Booking at 3 AM is a window worth checking, not a guaranteed savings strategy.

Hack 3: Incognito Mode or a VPN

This one requires unpacking.

In May, we reported that incognito mode and cookie-clearing have no documented impact on the prices airlines show you. Multiple travel experts confirmed that search history is not used to raise prices for individual users. Yale economist Kevin Williams, who studied airline pricing algorithms, confirmed that airlines do not track individual users to manipulate prices, per Metairfare.

But the content creator’s claim is slightly different. She says airlines fluctuate prices based on “your demographic and where you live.” On the location piece, she’s onto something real. Airlines and booking sites do not show the same prices to everyone. Your IP address, which indicates your approximate location, plays a documented role in the fares you see, according to NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Metairfare. Booking from certain countries — Ukraine, Ecuador, and Indonesia are commonly cited examples — can surface lower prices on the same flight, per Cybernews.

A VPN masks your IP address and lets you browse as if you’re in a different country, which is why VPN providers actively market this use case. It does not always work, and the final price may still depend on your payment method and billing country. But the underlying logic is sound.

Here’s the issue: incognito mode hides your browsing history but does not mask your location or IP address. For the specific goal she describes — finding cheaper regionally-priced fares — a VPN is the right tool. Incognito alone does not get you there.

Hack 4: Send Your Confirmation to JetBack

This one is real. JetBack is a service that monitors your booked flight for price drops and files a claim with the airline on your behalf if the fare falls before your departure. It launched in July 2025 and carries positive reviews on both the App Store and Google Play. The service runs $100 per year for unlimited refund claims.

However, if there’s anything we need to flag, it’s this: she directs viewers to flightcheatcode.com to access the service. That site has a 25% trust score on ScamDoc and is flagged by Scam Detector as high risk. JetBack’s verified website is getjetback.com. If you want to try this service, go there directly.

The concept itself, a tool that automatically tracks price drops on your existing booking and claims the difference back for you, is as useful as she says. The service is legitimate. Just skip the link she mentioned and go straight to the source.

Tags: Travel Hacks