Skyscanner names February as cheapest month to book overseas flights

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This was published 9 years ago

Skyscanner names February as cheapest month to book overseas flights

By Annie Dang
Updated
Shares in Qantas fell 5¢ to $2.44 on Monday amid a further increase in oil prices.

Shares in Qantas fell 5¢ to $2.44 on Monday amid a further increase in oil prices.

Planning to travel overseas?

February is the cheapest month to book an overseas flight, according to data collected by Skyscanner.

The travel search site named the second month of the year and the second week in November as the cheapest time to travel using three years worth of flight booking data.

The month of December, specifically the fourth week, was revealed to be the most expensive time to book flights.

To get the cheapest flights from Australia, travellers will need to book flights an average of 12 weeks in advance of the departure date.

Australians looking to fly to Thailand should be booking flights 20 weeks in advance to get an average of five per cent cheaper flights (saving about save $52.74), according to the data.

For the US and Indonesia, 19 weeks will give travellers a saving of six per cent (saving about $124.99) and seven per cent (saving about $44.57), respectively.

For the UK, 12 weeks attracts an average of five per savings (saving about $127.12) and for New Zealand, six weeks will equate to an average savings of six per cent (saving about $39.69).

Nonetheless, there are varying factors that may affect prices such as direct and in-direct flight routes, types of airlines, the time of year and the distance to destination, which travellers should keep in mind.

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Booking in advance would be favourable for destinations which are popular for Australians, such as Bali, or for travel during the school holidays.

A general rule of thumb is to monitor flight prices and to book well in advance of the intended travel date where possible.

Skyscanner compares millions of airfare, hotel and car hire deals. It is one of the most popular sites to search for low flight prices.

Cheapest time to travel

Month: February
Week: Second week in November

Most expensive time to travel

Month: December
Week: Fourth week in December

Best time to book cheap flights

Thailand: 20 weeks before departure date
US: 19 weeks before departure date
Indonesia: 19 weeks before departure date
UK: 12 weeks before departure date
New Zealand: six weeks before departure date

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