Cheapest and most expensive days for Aussies to fly in December

The difference can be a mere day between one of the cheapest and most expensive plane tickets this holiday season.

Aussies could save hundreds of dollars by carefully selecting the date they fly in December.

If you are flying from Sydney to Melbourne, Brisbane or Adelaide this holiday season, December 23 is the day to avoid, according to new research from travel insurance comparison site Compare the Market.

Using Skyscanner to search for one-way tickets, it found December 23 is also the most expensive day to fly from Melbourne to Brisbane or Hobart, and to fly from Brisbane to Melbourne, Perth or Darwin.

But it is December 30 that is the most expensive day to fly to Sydney from Melbourne and Brisbane. It may cost travellers on this day up to $150 more for a one-way ticket.

Aussies can save money and skip the biggest airport crowds in December by checking out different dates. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Seb Haggett

Flights out of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to the rest of Australia’s major cities are cheapest between December 11 and 17, while the most expensive are a few days prior to and after December 25.

Looking at the difference between the cheapest and most expensive flights departing these three major airports – Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane – the data showed Aussies could save up to $300 by picking a better date to fly.

Compare the Market general manager of general insurance Adrian Taylor said the analysis showed there “can be a mere day between one of the cheapest and most expensive tickets this Christmas”.

“If people can be a bit more flexible on their travel plans during the festive period, it has the potential to save them hundreds of dollars just on a single trip,” he told news.com.au.

“And with the cost-of-living crunch where it is at the moment, we know that extra bit of money can go a long way – especially in the lead up to Christmas.”

Mr Taylor said the research served as a reminder that a good way to score a cheaper flight is to shop around.

“From Google Flights to Skyscanner, there’s a variety of search engines ready to show you the available and cheapest flights to your destination, so don’t take the price that you see on the airline’s website as the best deal,” he said.

“Many of these search engines also provide users with the option to search for flights without a destination in mind, which will showcase some cheap flights that are available. This might be a great option for the adventurous types, without hurting the hip pocket.”

The data showed a one-way flight from Melbourne to Cairns on December 28 could cost travellers $300 more than on December 2 or 4.

A flight from Sydney to Canberra on December 21 could be up to $300 more expensive than flying on December 19, and travellers who choose to fly from Brisbane to Canberra could save up to $260 by choosing to fly on December 7, 13, 14, 15 or 25 instead of December 26.

December is consistently one of the most expensive months of the year to travel. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer

According to travel search engine KAYAK the busiest day to fly domestically in the last month of the year is expected to be December 22.

“If you’re tossing up when to fly home, extend your trip until Sunday, January 7 to fly on what could be the quietest travel day,” a KAYAK spokeswoman told news.com.au earlier this month.

Flight searches on the platform in early October showed December 22 would also likely be the most expensive day to travel in Australia, while December 16 was likely to the most expensive day for international travel.

“Aussies flying domestically can expect to pay $407 on average this month, with international airfares costing $1997 on average,” the spokeswoman said.

“That’s a 19 per cent and a 45 per cent increase respectively compared to the price for the same routes during the most cost-effective months of the year to travel.”