Cheap flights alert as plane tickets hit lowest price in three years

Travellers are urged to book summer holiday flights five months early to save money

Airfares are 15 per cent lower than last January

Airline ticket prices have hit a three-year low, it has been claimed.

Experts at airfare predictor app Hopper urged those considering flying abroad during the summer holidays to snap up tickets before fees increase once more.

According to a blog on its website, data scientist Patrick Surry explained the average price for a round-trip airline ticket was projected to dip to $210 (£145), which is 15 per cent lower than last January.

The American app predicts that internal destinations within the US will be cheapest, although Mr Surry’s reasons for the lower prices can be applied across all airlines globally.

He said: "The plummeting ticket prices are largely due to cheap oil, increased competition, and a race among the major airlines to provide, cheap, bare-bones ticket options.”

Airlines including British Airways recently introduced an option for passengers to fly without hold luggage, lowering the price of the ticket.

However, experts say that as temperatures rise, so will the price of tickets - with airfares in June expected to cost $20 (£13) more than last year.

The Independent has asked British Airways and easyJet for comment.