Flights in mornings and on weekends ‘best to save money and avoid cancellations’

Ticket sales data reveals latest trends

Travellers should book at least two months before domestic flights and four months before international flights, experts say (PA Archive)

Air travel experts have revealed how holidaymakers can save time and money on flights.

Internal data released by holiday company Expedia, in partnership with Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), shows flights scheduled to depart before 11am are less likely to be cancelled than those taking off later in the day.

And trips booked on Sundays, instead of Fridays, tend to save around 20 per cent on domestic flights and 10 per cent on international ones.

For domestic travel, Saturdays are the best time to fly, while departing internationally on Friday can save an average of 15 per cent on air fare.

When it comes to delays, March has been revealed as the safest month to travel, with the shortest average length of waits compared to July, which features the highest.

Furthermore, travellers should book at least two months before domestic flights and four months before international flights to save between 20 and 30 per cent compared to those who waited until the last minute, according to the data.

The 2023 Air Travel Hacks report has been published for the last eight years and is based on the last 12 months of data.

Chuck Thackston, managing director of data science and research at ARC, said: “It’s really interesting to see how things have changed in travel since last year.

“For example, in last year’s report domestic flights were cheapest on Fridays, not Saturdays – and that’s swapped for 2023.

“These trends are all led by ticket sales data, which suggests one-night stays are potentially becoming more popular than full weekends.”