New research reveals the cheapest day to fly and the best time to book

When it comes to booking flights, finding the cheapest deal can be a real hassle.

To help travellers find the best deals, Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) and Expedia Group have crunched the numbers and revealed the top strategies that could save you money.

The data, published in ARC and Expedia’s 2019 Travel Pricing, found you can save up to 45 per cent on airfares simply by shifting the day you book and the day you depart.

In fact, the cheapest day to book flights is a Sunday and the cheapest day to fly is Friday.

By booking on a Sunday, travellers can save as much as 36 per cent. Meanwhile, travellers can save around 10 per cent on airfares simply by choosing flights that take off on Thursday or Friday.

However, the data also revealed Thursdays and Fridays tend to be the most expensive days to book a flight. And you’ll most likely cop higher fares if you jet off on a Sunday.

If you want to save some bucks, the data also found the best time to book flights – regardless of destination – is three weeks in advance. To score the best deals, hotels should be booked on a Friday night. And unlike airfares, the most expensive day to book a hotel is generally on a Sunday.

Meanwhile, by adding a Saturday night to your midweek trip, you could save up to 25 per cent on airfares.

ARC and Expedia also said to not assume direct flights will cost more than those with stop overs, as this is only true in some cases. In fact, direct flights may actually cost less than flights with stops for a number of reasons, including newly added routes and low-travel season.

Meanwhile, when it comes to nabbing the best deals, Travel at 60 recommends booking in advance and during sale periods.

“Generally cheapest days to fly out are mid-week, and this also goes for accommodation rates,” travel consultant Jessica O’Brien said. “Airlines and tour companies usually release early bird deals [and] they will always have some type of promotional deals going on. By asking your friendly staff at Travel at 60 we can advise the best times for this”

What do you think? Will you try these tips next time you book a flight?