Cheapest day to start your summer holiday

SUMMER is a busy and expensive time to fly. But there’s one day you should really look at booking your flight.

CHRISTMAS is just seven weeks away, so if you’ve been fantasising all year about a cheeky getaway over the festive season or summer holidays, you’d better get cracking.

And with December being a hugely popular time for holidays, if you haven’t booked your trip yet, you’ll find the cost of airfares will start getting very expensive very quickly.

But if you’re willing to be flexible with when you fly, strategically shifting your departure date could save you hundreds — if you know what date to aim for, and which to avoid.

Finder.com.au has examined the prices around the Christmas and New Year season to popular holiday spots such as Bali, Fiji, Hawaii and the Gold Coast to pinpoint the cheapest day to fly during the festive season.

Many people think Christmas Day or New Year’s Day are the cheapest, but they’re not — this year it’s Christmas Eve that will offer the cheapest airfares, according to Finder.

“This year Christmas Eve is a Sunday, and that means many families will aim to do their Christmas travel on Saturday, 23rd of December. That helps explain why prices are cheaper on Christmas Eve — the peak demand has already passed,” finder.com.au’s editor-in-chief and travel expert Angus Kidman said.

“No one really likes to be stuck in a transit lounge on Christmas Eve or New Year’s Day. But if it can save you a few hundred dollars, it could totally be worth it.”

Finder.com.au compared the cost of return airfares from Sydney to Honolulu for one person on December 24 and December 27.

Right now, the December 27 return flight is priced at $1283, while on December 24, it costs only $755.

That could save a family of four travelling to Hawaii a massive $2100.

But if you’re unwilling to travel on Christmas Eve, your next best bet is to avoid booking flights that depart on December 27.

“If you can, avoid the day after Boxing Day. Our analysis showed this is the most expensive day to fly out on,” Mr Kidman said.

“The good news is prices start to drop again on New Year’s Eve.

“Early January provides another window of opportunity to avoid peak fares if you are limited to travelling during this period.

“But if you really want to save money, avoid travelling in peak periods and school holidays, book early and look out for sales. Black Friday is coming up on November 24 and we should see some sale fares then.”

While keeping an eye out for sales is a good idea, you don’t want to be running the risk of leaving it too soon before Christmas to book those flights.

According to consumer research by online travel company Fly365, Australian travellers are booking in their holiday-season flights later and later in the year, in the hope airfares will suddenly plummet right before Christmas.

But that’s not true, Fly365’s managing director Scott Mayne said.

“Over the past five years we have noticed that people are booking their Christmas travel

extremely late in the year because they believe they will get last minute deals, however this

is rarely the case,” Mr Mayne told news.com.au.

“The reality is that between now and the end of January, flight prices won’t fluctuate too

significantly, so waiting can be risky, especially if you are wanting to stay in popular

accommodation locations.”

“We have also found that millennials seem to be less likely to plan their trips too far in

advance and often will make travel decisions last minute.

“Gone are the days when you plan your trip 12 months in advance and then book it with eight

months’ notice,” he said.