Study determines when flights are booked at the cheapest
Various tricks can be used to save money on holiday flights. Relevant here are the period for which the reservation is made, as well as the month and day of the week on which the flight is ultimately booked.
In order to answer the question of when is the best time to book flights, the flight comparison portal Opodo conducted a study. For this purpose, booking figures for the past two years, 2018 and 2019, were analyzed, after which certain recommendations can then be made.
In this way, special trends could be identified based on price fluctuations, which show significant differences with regard to the average price.
The booking month can determine the flight costs
The study found that August is literally the cheapest month to book flights. On average, travelers paid 261 euros this month, regardless of whether they were flying domestically, within Europe or on long-haul routes.
If the figures are broken down into the individual flight categories, the average price for domestic flights was 138 euros. Flights within Europe cost an average of 190 euros, while long-haul flights cost an average of 441 euros.
But the actual destination is also decisive for the month in which the flight should be booked. For example, reservations for flights to America are cheapest in January at an average of 700 euros. The same applies to Australia and Oceania, 1073 euros were paid here on average for the flight in January.
However, flights to Asia should be booked in August, here flights cost an average of 354 euros. If you book a flight to Africa in November, you pay an average of 468 euros, so this would be the cheapest month for that travel booking.
However, it must not be neglected for which season the corresponding flight is scheduled. Flights in July and August are the most expensive, while trips in January and February are often cheaper. However, real bargain hunters should travel in November, here you can find cheap rates, especially for short and medium-haul flights.
How many weeks in advance should be booked?
In the course of the study, the best day of the week and the period until the trip was determined for flight bookings.
If you first look at all flight destinations as a whole, Friday is the best day of the week to book a flight. Nevertheless, as with the month of reservation, the destinations should be clearly selected depending on the time of booking.
Accordingly, a flight within Europe should be booked on a Saturday, where the average price is the lowest at 214 euros compared to the other days of the week. Air travel to Asia and Africa should also be booked on a Saturday, so the average prices are 617 and 653 euros for the respective flight.
Flights to America are cheapest on Sundays with an average price of 842 euros. While flights to Australia and Oceania are most affordable on Thursdays, they cost an average of 1141 euros on Thursdays.
If you generalize how many days in advance should be booked, the correct answer would be about three months, i.e. 85 to 90 days. But here, too, the costs vary depending on the destination. Domestic flights would therefore be the cheapest in the said three-month period at an average of 164 euros per booking.
Whereas flights within Europe should be booked 61 to 70 days in advance, the best airfare can be achieved at an average of 267 euros. While long-haul flights should again be booked three months in advance, the average price here would be the lowest at 750 euros.
Sunday Rule or Sunday rule
But even with the so-called “Sunday Rule” you can save a lot of money on air travel. This is a special tariff arranged by airlines, which is occasionally used.
The “Sunday Rule”, also known as the Sunday rule or weekend rule, states that the return flight may not be taken before the first Sunday after the outbound flight. The traveler must spend at least one Sunday in the holiday country.
This is how airlines separate holidaymakers from business travelers, because holidaymakers prefer to include a weekend in their vacation, while business travelers prefer to return home before the weekend. Therefore, many airlines apply special fares if the weekend is between the outward and return flights.
If you follow all of these tips the next time you book a flight, you may be able to save a few euros.
Henry Ely / Editor finanzen.net
Image sources: Markus Gann / Shutterstock.com, stockpix4u / Shutterstock.com