Fridays might be the best day to travel, but it’s not the best day to book airfares, a new report detailing the best travel hacks reveals.
Expedia has released its 2024 Air Travel Hacks Report, which provides “essential” tips for travellers wanting to save time and money on flights.
Although plenty of Australians are planning their holidays for the new year, many are feeling overwhelmed by the idea of booking everything.
According to Expedia, 1000 Australian travellers were surveyed and a third said they found air travel more daunting than making small talk, household chores and a mounting number of emails.
Expedia Australia managing director Daniel Finch said booking flights doesn’t have to be stressful and there are tools like Expedia’s Price Tracking that can make the whole experience a lot more affordable.
Plus, things are starting to look up after the pandemic years which stunted air travel.
“Airlines are adding capacity and increasing services to meet the sustained air travel demand we’ve seen throughout 2023,” the managing director of data science and research at Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), Chuck Thackston, said.
“Air travel has proven resilient over the past few years, with travellers increasingly taking to the skies for both business and leisure. Fortunately for those travellers, capacity is now on par with 2019 levels.”
Australians are eager to travel after the pandemic, but many find planning stressful.
The travel hack to know for 2024
From when to book a trip, to when to fly, there are plenty of little tricks all travellers should know.
The Air Travel Hacks Report is put out annually by Expedia and it is backed by an analysis of billions of data points and the most extensive air ticketing data base, thanks to a collaboration with ARC.
The best day to book flights
To save money, the best day to book an airfare is on a Sunday.
When travellers book on a Sunday instead of a Friday, they tend to save about 20 per cent on domestic flights and 18 per cent on international flights.
Travellers can also save more by booking in advance.
For the best deals on domestic flights, travellers should book at least 14 weeks in advance.
International flights should be booked at least one month before travel.
“Travellers that booked their domestic flights at least 14 weeks prior to departure saved 20 per cent on average compared to those who waited until the last minute. International airfares tend to be rather stable during the six months period prior to travel,” Expedia said.
“However, for optimal availability, selection and savings, book at least a month out.”
The best day and time to travel
It’s best to book on a Sunday, but it’s best to depart on a Friday.
Departing at the end of the work week can save travellers up to 23 per cent.
Travellers should also avoid departing on a Sunday, as it happens to be the priciest day of the week.
It turns out there’s a good reason to skip getting an early morning flight.
There’s nothing worse than having a flight cancelled and apparently the best time to avoid being left stranded is in the afternoon.
Expedia says that flights before 3pm have an 18 per cent higher chance of being cancelled, compared to those after.