MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Global travel search engine, Skyscanner, uncovered that Week 33, August 10, is an ideal time to purchase all holiday air travel tickets – Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Through analysis of 2014 purchasing patterns, Skyscanner saw that Thanksgiving week tickets booked during week 33 garnered a nearly 5.5 percent savings, while Christmas-time flights saw close to 19 percent savings, and New Year’s Eve air travel purchased during this week saw close to 15 percent in savings.
“Skyscanner aims to make travel planning and booking as easy as possible,” says Jenny Stephens, General Manager of the Americas, Skyscanner. “Examining trends and patterns through our data, and sharing our learnings is one way that we look to help travelers make their best travel decisions and save money. The holidays should be a joyous time with friends and family, not a time to worry about travel planning and costs.”
In a recent study commissioned by Skyscanner, 52 percent of respondents noted they’re more likely to wait two to three months prior to their desired departure date to book flights. Survey results also revealed that 12 percent of survey participants wait less than a month in advance to book flights. Through historical data, Skyscanner has seen savings for last minute bookings as well.
- For Thanksgiving, historic data found that booking flights 10 weeks prior (Sept. 14 to Sept. 20) could save an average of four percent. For last minute bookers, two weeks before Thanksgiving may save an average of 3.8 percent on flights.
- For those looking to book flights for Christmas, Skyscanner found the weeks of Aug. 31 and Sept. 28 could generate savings of 12.7 percent and 9.1 percent respectively. Last minute bookers should consider Nov. 2 to Nov. 8 for a possible 4.8 percent savings.
- Booking the week of Sept. 14 and the week of Sept. 28 for New Year’s may results in savings of 8.5 percent on flights. For last minute bookings, the week of Dec. 14 could result in savings of an average of 6.3 percent.
Though holiday is a peak season for travel, travelers should be on the lookout for bargains at any time. To snag the best deal, Skyscanner also suggests:
- Track flight prices: Skyscanner’s Price Alerts will send you notifications when your price drops, so you can buy your tickets at their lowest.
- Book smart: Knowing when to book is important, but also how, like flying at less popular hours of the day, flying indirect or out of nearby airports and flying out with one airline and back with another, can help lower costs.
- Be flexible: For travelers who want to take advantage of the holiday season but don’t have a family destination in mind use Skyscanner’s Everywhere search. This flexible search tool shows top flight deals around the world, while providing travel inspiration.
About Skyscanner
Skyscanner is a leading global travel search company providing free search of flights, hotels and car rental. Founded in 2003 Skyscanner helps to meet the travel planning needs of over 35 million people each month. Skyscanner is available in over 30 languages. Skyscanner’s highly-rated free mobile apps have been downloaded over 40 million times. The privately-owned company employs over 600 staff and has nine global offices in Edinburgh, Singapore, Beijing, Shenzhen, Miami, Barcelona, Glasgow, Sofia and Budapest. For more information, please visit http://www.skyscanner.com and our blog.
Methodology:
- Skyscanner polled over 2,000 US respondents via OnePoll during the week of July 27, 2015.
- Skyscanner holiday travel data is based on 2014 search and exits during 2014 holiday dates on Skyscanner.com. US to US round-trip travel for one-adult ticket were analyzed.