Planning to take to the skies in 2018? Take note, travellers! The Expedia group and the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) have just released the ARC Air Travel Outlook report, which analyses billions of data points for domestic and international air travel globally to identify practical tips Kiwi travellers can use to find airfare savings in 2018.  

The report reveals, when it comes to the best time for New Zealanders to book airfares, significant savings can be found by both booking and starting a journey on certain days of the week, while also busts a long-held travel myth. Despite popular belief in the benefits of last-minute bookings, in most parts of the world, economy fares tend to increase as departure date gets closer.

For Kiwis flying domestically, analysis of ARC’s data reveals the earlier travellers book, the cheaper the price is likely to be. For international travel, the trend is more volatile based on destination and seasonality though booking early is recommended: according to the data, bookings made more than 30 days in advance result in cheaper fares. 

Demi Kavaratzis, Director of Tours and Transport, Expedia Australia and New Zealand, says: “Kiwis are born travellers who are happy to hunt a bargain. Booking early is one key way to save as is being flexible about when and where you travel. Shifting your departure date by one day may be an easy way to keep more money in your pocket.”

 So here’s the report’ s air booking golden tips for Kiwis. International travel: Book Sunday, avoid Friday: Broadly, the best day of the week for New Zealand-based travellers to book international economy airfares is Sunday.

Fly Thursday, not Sunday: On the whole, the best day of the week to start an international journey is a Thursday. New Zealand travellers paid the highest international economy airfares in September, and the lowest in January, based on date of booking.

Domestic travel: Book Sunday, avoid Monday: Broadly, the best day of the week for Kiwis to book a domestic economy airfare is a Sunday. Fly Saturday, avoid Sunday: On the whole, the best day of the week to start a domestic journey is a Saturday.  We apparently paid the highest fares in Nove,ber and the lowest in January, based on date of booking.

 Demi Kavaratzis says: “I know when I book an airfare, I challenge myself to find the best fare and from our research we know people can make up to 50 online searches before booking a flight – that’s a lot! We want to use our enormous amounts of data to help Kiwis have a better booking experience, find the best deal for them and book with confidence.” www.expedia.co.nz

Mike Yardley is our Travel Correspondent on Jack Tame Saturday Mornings