BOOK FLIGHTS ON A SUNDAY AND FLY OUT ON A FRIDAY FOR THE CHEAPEST FLIGHTS¹

Skyscanner unveils how to find the best value flights as thousands rush online for January Sales 

As the January Sales kick off, it comes as no surprise that January is the busiest month for flight bookings² with thousands expected to book their 2019 trips.  To help travellers get the best value flights, the travel experts at Skyscanner have been busy crunching their data to uncover new flight tips to save travellers money.  2019 Flight Insights identified Friday as the cheapest day to fly out the UK and Sunday is the best day to jump online and grab a bargain. There are also a host of destinations which have seen average flight prices drop by up to 28%.  For travellers looking to travel to long haul destinations such as sunny California could save 11% off of average flight prices7, whereas those looking for sunnier climes closer to home could again save 11% on average flight prices to Malta8.

Lisa Tyndall, Senior Growth Manager at Skyscanner comments: “With the busiest month for flight bookings underway we wanted to crunch our latest data to uncover flight insights that could help travellers find the best deals in 2019.  There is evidence that suggests Friday is the cheapest day of the week for travellers to fly out of the UK and Sunday is the most expensive day to fly out of the UK¹.  Switching their flight departure date from a Sunday to a Friday could save travellers 21%³. Travellers should also consider flying out of a different airport nearby to save money, for example a family of four could save over £500 by switching to a different departure airport that's not much further away9.”

Fly out on a Friday

Over the last four years, Skyscanner flight data has shown that the cheapest day of the week to fly out of the UK is a Friday, with Sunday being the most expensive4.  Based on average flight prices, travellers could save an impressive 21% by switching from a Sunday departure day to a Friday departure day³.  Traveller's may also find it's significantly cheaper to travel a day before or a day after their original departure dates.  It also pays to use Skyscanner's Month View search tool to find the cheapest flights for their destination

Book flights on a Sunday

The world's travel search engine's data shows that Sundays¹ tend to be the best day to jump online to book a cheap flight, whereas Wednesdays tend to be the most expensive day to book a flight¹.  Travellers could save 4% on average flight prices if booking a flight from the UK on a Sunday versus a Wednesday².

Avoid the Rush

Whilst Saturday 21st December was the busiest day for outbound flights from the UK in 2018, typically Friday is the busiest day for travel, whereas Sunday is the quietest.

Best Value Destinations New York and Amsterdam lead the way for most popular destinations in 20185, but for those looking for the best value flights, the world's travel search engine has number crunched the top destinations to uncover those with the biggest drop in average flight prices over the last year.

Those looking for great value long haul flights should consider the USA, which is dominating the Long-Haul Routes with the biggest price drops.

Looking closer to home, Europe has some great value destinations, with Germany dominating the top ten European Value Destinations

If Inforgram is not showing above, it can be viewed online here

Consider a nearby airport Brits should also consider flying out of a different airport nearby to save money, for example a family of four flying to Tenerife could save over £500 if they switched from London Luton to London Stansted9. Travellers just need to click on 'add nearby airports' when creating a search and see if a short drive, bus or train journey could save them pounds.

Mix & match airlines Fares don't have to be booked as returns, instead you can save money by flying out with one airline and returning with another.

Search Everywhere For those with a limited budget but unsure of where to go, Skyscanner's great Search Everywhere tool, will find the cheapest destinations to travel to for a specific date period.  For example, travellers could fly from London to Sardinia in May from as little as £44 return (flight details here)

Monitor prices And lastly, the best way of getting a good fare is to keep track of the prices by setting up a price alert so that you are notified when prices rise or fall on a specific route. 

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For more information, please contact Emma Wiseman on 07747 343233 or emma.wiseman@skyscanner.net 

¹ Based on Skyscanner average flight prices for return economy adult fare taken at the point of exiting the site or app.  For all flights from the UK to all destination in 2018a.  Based on exits made between 1st January 2018 - 30th December 2018.  The best day to book and fly out will always vary depending on route and date.

² Based on Skyscanner exits made on the site and app between 1st January 2018 - 30th December 2018

³ Comparing average flight prices of return economy adult fares for Sunday departures to all destinations from the UK in 2018 to average flight prices of return economy adult fares for Friday departures to all destinations from the UK in 2018

4 Based on Skyscanner exits from the UK to all destination between 2015-2018 looking at the average flight price of return economy adult fare at the point of travel for each day of the week

5 Based on Skyscanner exits to all destinations from the UK during 2018, made between 1st January 2018 – 30th December 2018

6 Comparing average flight prices of return economy adult fares for UK departures to destinations listed for 2017 and 2018 prices.  Based on exits from the Skyscanner site and app up until 30th December 2018.

7 Comparing average flight prices of return economy adult fares for UK departures to San Francisco 2017 and 2018 prices.  Based on exits from the Skyscanner site and app up until 30th December 2018

8 Comparing average flight prices of return economy adult fares for UK departures to Malta for 2017 and 2018 prices.  Based on exits from the Skyscanner site and app up until 30th December 2018

9 Luton Flights to Tenerife here.  London Stansted Flights to Tenerife here

• Skyscanner is the world's travel search engine, saving you time and money by finding the best travel options wherever you want to go, including flights, hotels, trains, and car hire 
• Founded in 2003, Skyscanner helps over 80 million people each month to find their travel options
• Skyscanner is available in 30 languages
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