To get the best deal on flights, timing your booking is key.
And new research from Which? makes it easier than ever to find the perfect moment, depending on when and where you’re headed.
The consumer champion analysed data from Skyscanner based on average return flight prices in 2023 and 2024 to see when travellers got the cheapest airfares to popular destinations.
Overall, timings ranged from five weeks to six months in advance. So if you’re looking for a cheap trip this summer, you may need to get cracking now.
For a summer break in August, for example, Which? found the cheapest fares to Faro in the Algarve were available five weeks in advance, while holidaymakers travelling to Paris needed to book 26 weeks in advance.
Similarly, when it comes to the Easter holidays, booking 12 weeks in advance will get you the best price for Dublin or Valencia, but you’ll need to do so twice as early (24 weeks) for Berlin and Krakow.
The watchdog revealed the cheapest month to travel in general is January, with off-season flights available for as little as £39 to Dublin and £50. Meanwhile, a trip to the big apple is best for your budget in March, where a return flight costs on average just £201.
Naomi Leach, Deputy Editor of Which? Travel, said: ‘Our research threw up some surprising results and suggests some holidaymakers could save significant sums of money by targeting the right time to book their flights…
‘It is worth setting up flight alerts with Google Flights or Skyscanner to track the best prices for your desired destination to find the best time to book a great deal.’
The best time to book short-haul flights
Amsterdam
- How far in advance to book for April: 20 weeks
- How far in advance to book for August: 15 weeks
- How far in advance to book for Christmas: 20 weeks
- Cheapest month to fly: January, £86
Athens
- How far in advance to book for April: 18 weeks
- How far in advance to book for August: 6 weeks
- How far in advance to book for Christmas: 10 weeks
- Cheapest month to fly: January, £75
Barcelona
- How far in advance to book for April: 17 weeks
- How far in advance to book for August: 13 weeks
- How far in advance to book for Christmas: 17 weeks
- Cheapest month to fly: January, £50
Berlin
- How far in advance to book for April: 24 weeks
- How far in advance to book for August: 24 weeks
- How far in advance to book for Christmas: 20 weeks
- Cheapest month to fly: January, £61
Budapest
- How far in advance to book for April: 17 weeks
- How far in advance to book for August: 6 weeks
- How far in advance to book for Christmas: 8 weeks
- Cheapest month to fly: January, £62
Dublin
- How far in advance to book for April: 12 weeks
- How far in advance to book for August: 13 weeks
- How far in advance to book for Christmas: 12 weeks
- Cheapest month to fly: January, £39
Faro
- How far in advance to book for April: 14 weeks
- How far in advance to book for August: 5 weeks
- How far in advance to book for Christmas: 10 weeks
- Cheapest month to fly: January, £61
Lisbon
- How far in advance to book for April: 22 weeks
- How far in advance to book for August: 16 weeks
- How far in advance to book for Christmas: 17 weeks
- Cheapest month to fly: December, £63
Mallorca
- How far in advance to book for April: 14 weeks
- How far in advance to book for August: 13 weeks
- How far in advance to book for Christmas: 19 weeks
- Cheapest month to fly: March, £55
Nice
- How far in advance to book for April: 14 weeks
- How far in advance to book for August: 24 weeks
- How far in advance to book for Christmas: 23 weeks
- Cheapest month to fly: November, £72
Krakow
- How far in advance to book for April: 24 weeks
- How far in advance to book for August: 25 weeks
- How far in advance to book for Christmas: 11 weeks
- Cheapest month to fly: January, £48
Paris
- How far in advance to book for April: 21 weeks
- How far in advance to book for August: 26 weeks
- How far in advance to book for Christmas: 15 weeks
- Cheapest month to fly: January, £73
Prague
- How far in advance to book for April: 15 weeks
- How far in advance to book for August: 19 weeks
- How far in advance to book for Christmas: 16 weeks
- Cheapest month to fly: January, £62
Seville
- How far in advance to book for April: 13 weeks
- How far in advance to book for August: 25 weeks
- How far in advance to book for Christmas: 17 weeks
- Cheapest month to fly: January, £55
Tenerife
- How far in advance to book for April: 19 weeks
- How far in advance to book for August: 10 weeks
- How far in advance to book for Christmas: 8 weeks
- Cheapest month to fly: January, £76
Valencia
- How far in advance to book for April: 12 weeks
- How far in advance to book for August: 12 weeks
- How far in advance to book for Christmas: 11 weeks
- Cheapest month to fly: January, £45
The best time to book long-haul flights
Bangkok
- How far in advance to book for April: 25 weeks
- How far in advance to book for August: 8 weeks
- How far in advance to book for Christmas: 16 weeks
- Cheapest month to fly: January, February, or March, £386
Cape Town
- How far in advance to book for April: n/a
- How far in advance to book for August: n/a
- How far in advance to book for Christmas: n/a
- Cheapest month to fly: March, £472
Chicago
- How far in advance to book for April: n/a
- How far in advance to book for August: n/a
- How far in advance to book for Christmas: n/a
- Cheapest month to fly: November, £308
New York
- How far in advance to book for April: 14 weeks
- How far in advance to book for August: 7 weeks
- How far in advance to book for Christmas: 11 weeks
- Cheapest month to fly: March, £201
Sydney
- How far in advance to book for April: 22 weeks
- How far in advance to book for August: 8 weeks
- How far in advance to book for Christmas: 15 weeks
- Cheapest month to fly: November, £525
Tokyo
- How far in advance to book for April: n/a
- How far in advance to book for August: n/a
- How far in advance to book for Christmas: n/a
- Cheapest month to fly: November and December, £397
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