Big savings to be made by knowing when to book and when to fly, new research suggests

So you want to travel and get the best price? It turns out that not only the month you plan to fly but also the day of the week makes a big difference to the price, data shows.

Finding cheap airfares can be a challenge in the current environment of high demand and limited capacity but new research shows booking on a Sunday three months in advance, and flying on a Thursday in January is the best way to save money.

Analysis by travel site Expedia found that booking on Sundays saved travellers as much as 17 per cent off an international fare – reducing a $2000 ticket to $1660 – and 20 per cent off a domestic ticket.

The savings grew by a further 8 per cent if the overseas trip began on a Thursday, or 27 per cent on a domestic trip that took off on a Saturday.

January was the cheapest month in which to travel for both international and domestic flights, at up to 11 per cent less expensive than in September.

Travellers hoping to avoid crowds should target a February holiday, which is widely considered the quietest month for air travel, and preferably leave on a Sunday.

Expedia travel expert Sarah King said the insights included in the annual Air Hacks report were pulled from billions of data points from every airline across the world through a collaboration with the Airlines Reporting Corporation and OAG.

“The report arms Aussies with the best chance of saving money and time as many begin to book and plan their travels for the year,” Ms King said.

“Not only are long-haul destinations becoming more accessible for Aussies thanks to new flight routes out of Australia, we’re also seeing new aircraft and improved airport facilities.”

As well as identifying the best days and months to travel, the report highlighted the ideal lead-in times for flight bookings to land a bargain.

Despite the widely held belief longer was better, particularly for international fares, the report showed eight weeks before travel was actually the best time to book.

Booking too far in advance on international routes turns out to be more expensive that thought.

“Booking too far in advance can actually cost travellers,” the report said.

“Booking at least two months before their international flight is the sweet spot for savings of up to 12 per cent rather than booking more than five months ahead.”

The opposite was true for domestic flights. A six month lead-in time delivered a 36 per cent saving on fares compared with seats booked at the last minute, or six to 12 days before travel.

Airlines Reporting Corporation managing director of data science and research Chuck Thackston said the data would go a long way to helping travellers prepare for their 2025 holidays.

“In 2025, affordable premium and economy fares can help passengers as they continue to prioritise international travel with their discretionary spending to explore new destinations around the world,” he said.

Among the new routes announced by airlines for the year ahead are United Airlines’ twice weekly service to Greenland from Newark starting in June, and Delta’s non-stop flight to Catania in Sicily from New York launching in May.

Etihad is adding new direct services from Abu Dhabi, to destinations such as Algiers, Atlanta, Hanoi, Tunis and Phnom Penh.

Virgin Australia hopes to begin flights from Sydney, Brisbane and Perth to Doha from June, operated by Qatar Airways, and Qantas is adding 220,000 seats to its international network from February.

Although Qantas is yet to confirm any new destinations as its last two A380s return to service, the airline has previously indicated it’s looking closely at Athens, Seattle, Chicago and Las Vegas.

From mid June Qantas will stop flying to the South Korean capital Seoul, allowing Jetstar to increase flights, but the flying kangaroo will debut its new A220s on Darwin-Singapore from March.

And from December, Qantas will reinstate Sydney-Sapporo for the popular Japan skiing season with an early morning flight over, and an early evening return.

Originally published as Big savings to be made by knowing when to book and when to fly, new research suggests