Expedia releases the 2024 Air Travel Hacks Report, revealing best days to book and fly

Report includes money- and stress-saving hacks for the holidays and beyond

New research finds air travel is a cause of stress for 39% of Canadians

TORONTO, Sept. 27, 2023 /CNW/ -- Expedia's 2024 Air Travel Hacks Report was released today, providing the latest essential tips to save travellers time and money on flights, and make air travel less stressful, from when to book, how to avoid cancellations and the best day to depart on your trip.

The report comes at a time when travellers are beginning to plan their holiday getaways and are feeling overwhelmed in the process. According to a survey* of 1,000 Canadian flyers, Expedia found that 39% reported air travel to be stressful and more daunting than a flooded inbox or sleeping through an alarm. Almost half (43%) of air travellers find the process of securing a good flight deal especially stressful, and 17% even checked back on ticket prices after booking to see if they could have saved more.

"In terms of stress levels, booking your next flight shouldn't be in the same ballpark as getting a cavity filled," said Melanie Fish, head of Expedia Group Brands public relations. "The good news is many of the things that contribute to travel stress are getting better, and Expedia is constantly releasing new tools like Price Tracking and Trip Planner, 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."

2024 Air Travel Hacks Report

WHEN TO BOOK

• Book airfare on a Sunday to save up to 24%.¹ Travellers who book on Sundays instead of Fridays tend to save, on average, around 17% on domestic flights and 24% on international flights.
• Book domestic flights at least a month before to save 33%.² Travellers that booked 25 days prior to departure saved 33% on average compared to those who waited until the last minute. For international airfare, avoid booking too early as prices are comparatively high 106 days out. However, prices also tend to increase 20 days prior to departure. For optimal availability, selection and savings, book 30-37 days out.

WHEN TO TRAVEL

• Depart on a Thursday to save up to 13%.³ Avoid departing on Sundays, which are the priciest days, on average, to start a trip.
• Depart before 3 p.m. to reduce chance of cancellations.⁴ 24% of Canadian 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 3 p.m. have an 18% higher chance, on average, of being cancelled than those that depart earlier in the day.

MONEY-SAVING TOOLS  

• Price Tracking: Take the guess work out of deciding when to book with the Price Tracking feature on the Expedia app, which notifies travellers when flight prices change, and uses exclusive data to pinpoint the best time to book.
• Bundling: With flights, car rentals, hotels and activities, Expedia offers a wide selection of customizable vacation packages in one place, allowing travellers to save hundreds of dollars on average when booking multiple items on Expedia. Whether booking items together in the same transaction or in steps, travellers also have their itinerary all in one place making it easier to keep track of their journey.

2024 AIR TRAVEL TRENDS

• The number of scheduled long haul flights is nearly at 2019 levels (<5% less versus 2019) and the number of scheduled short haul flights is at 74% compared to 2019, overall increasing. Average economy ticket prices have decreased by up to 3% compared to 2022.⁵
• Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary range among the most popular domestic destinations for Canadian flyers. The most popular international destinations are Las Vegas (USA), Cancun (Mexico) and New York City (USA). ⁶
• The fastest growing destination, according to Expedia flight demand data, is Beijing in China.⁷

ABOUT THE DATA

Expedia's annual Air Travel Hacks Report is backed by an analysis of billions of data points and the most extensive air ticketing database in the world through collaboration with Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) and OAG, the world's largest provider of flight information. Expedia has produced the Air Travel Hacks Report annually for more than a decade, making it the ultimate authority on air travel insights and data-driven travel tips.

About Expedia
Expedia^® is one of the world's leading full-service travel brands, with a mission of helping travellers get the most out of every trip they take by providing everything they need all in one place, ensuring they are getting the most out of every trip they take, and above all else, feel supported every step of the way.  

Our commitment to insights matched with our unprecedented scale allows us to understand our travellers better than anyone else, delivering exactly what they need, when they need it. Our personalized experiences, backed by incredible technology enable us to deliver the widest selection of product offerings across accommodations, transportation, activities and experiences that help you get the most out of your journey.  

Use our mobile app or visit www.expedia.ca to plan your journey with us.  

© 2023 Expedia, Inc., an Expedia Group company.  All rights reserved.  Expedia and the Airplane logo are trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. CST# 2029030-50.

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About Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC)
ARC accelerates the growth of global air travel by delivering forward-looking travel data, flexible distribution services and other innovative industry solutions. We are a leading travel intelligence company that possesses the world's largest, most comprehensive global airline ticket dataset, including more than 15 billion passenger flights representing 490 airlines and 230 countries and territories. Our solutions and expertise strengthen economies and enrich lives by connecting stakeholders across the travel ecosystem. For more information, visit www.arccorp.com.

About OAG
OAG is the leading data platform for the global travel industry, powering the growth and innovation of the air travel ecosystem since 1929. It has the world's largest network of flight information, covering the whole journey from planning to customer experience. Customers include airlines, airports, travel technology players, aviation service providers, government agencies, financial institutions, and consultancies. Headquartered in the U.K., OAG has operations in the U.S., Singapore, Japan, China, and Lithuania. For more information, visit: www.oag.com and follow us on Twitter @OAG Aviation.

Data sources:
¹ Best day of the week to book recommendation is based on average round-trip ticket prices for flights originating in Canada for January through August 2023, sourced from ARC's global airline sales database. Percentages noted are averages.
² Ideal booking window recommendation is based on average round-trip ticket prices for flights originating in Canada for January through August for 2023, sourced from ARC's global airline sales database. Percentages noted are averages.
³ Best day of the week to depart recommendation is based on average round-trip ticket prices for flights originating in Canada for January through August for 2022, sourced from ARC's global airline sales database. Percentages noted are averages.
⁴ How to avoid flight cancellations information is based on January through July 2023 flight status data for flights originating in Canada sourced from OAG's global flight data platform. Percentages noted are averages.
⁵ Capacity information is based on number of scheduled flights offered by airlines for January 2019 through December 2023, sourced from ARC's global airline sales database. Price development information is based on average round-trip ticket prices for January through August for 2023 and average round-trip ticket prices for January through August for 2022, sourced from ARC's global airline sales database.
⁶ Most popular destinations information is based on Expedia's 2023 flight demand to-date.
⁷ The fastest growing destination information is based on Expedia's 2023 flight demand to-date and flight demand in the same period last year.

* The survey about air travel stress was conducted online among 1,000 Canadian air travellers from August 23-September 24, 2023, by OnePoll on behalf of Expedia.

SOURCE Expedia

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