Expedia has revealed the best day to book your next flight and what day you should fly, according to a new report.
The full-service travel brand has published its 2024 Air Travel Hacks Report on Wednesday ( September 27) which provides travellers with all the latest essential travel tips.
The 2024 report shares how holidaymakers can save their precious time on money and how they can reduce the stress of air travel.
What happens if you miss your flight due to airport delays?
Expedia's report has taken on some key questions from travellers including when they should book and how to avoid cancellations to the best day to start their trips.
In conjunction with the report, 2000 UK flyers were surveyed by OnePoll on behalf of Expedia between August 23-29 2023.
Nearly half of the survey's respondents (49%) shared they find air travel more daunting than doing their taxes, making small talk and a flooded email inbox.
One of the biggest stresses of air travel is experiencing a flight delay or cancellation, according to 65% of the survey participants.
Long lines at security followed and getting stuck in traffic on the way to the airport both followed on 47% of the vote.
“No way should people rather do their taxes than go on a trip, so thank goodness a lot of the things causing travel-related stress are getting better,” said Melanie Fish, head of Expedia Group Brands public relations.
“Fewer flights are being cancelled and technology is helping with tools in the Expedia app like Price Tracking that make the whole booking and flying journey smoother.”
“Airlines are adding capacity and increasing service to meet the sustained air travel demand we’ve seen throughout 2023,” said Chuck Thackston, managing director of data science and research at ARC.
“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, the cost of airfare has been below 2022 levels for most of the year.”
What day is the best to book a flight?
Expedia suggests booking your airfare on a Sunday to save up to 23%.
Travellers who book on Sundays instead of Fridays tend to save, on average, around 21% on domestic flights and 24% on international flights, according to the travel experts.
They also recommend booking domestic flights at least five months before to save 35% since travellers who booked 162-180 days prior to departure saved 34% on average compared to those who waited until the last minute.
When it comes to flying internationally, the ideal booking period is 8-23 days prior to departure and the worst booking period is 36-63 days prior to departure.
By booking 8-23 days prior, you could save 8%, Expedia says.
What is the best day to travel?
The best day to depart on your trip is a Friday since you could save up to 26%.
Expedia also recommends that you avoid departing on Sundays since this is the priciest day of the week, on average, to start a trip.
The travel experts also recommend departing before 3pm to reduce the chance of cancellations.
19% of UK air travellers try to avoid morning flights because getting up early on the day of travel gives them additional stress.
However, year-to-date flight status data reveals flights that depart after 3pm have a 4% higher chance, on average, of being cancelled than those that depart earlier in the day.
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