Not to sound the alarms, but Christmas is less than 50 sleeps away (eek!). If you’re hoping to jet-set over the holiday season, you’ll want to listen up. We’ve been alerted to the cheapest and most expensive days to book flights over the festive period – and it could save you hundreds of dollars.
Travel insurance company Compare the Market used Skyscanner to gather data on one-way fares from Australia’s three biggest airports to major cities nationwide. The results found that flights out of Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney were on average cheapest between December 3rd and 5th, and again from December 10th to 13th. During this time, you can save up to $95 on flights from Brisbane to Perth, up to $50 on trips from Melbourne to Darwin, and up to $71 on routes from Sydney to Brisbane.
Compared to last year – when the best deals were between December 11th and 17th – this year’s cheapest flights have shifted even earlier in December. Could this be your cue to clock off a week early and dip into that annual leave? We think yes!
If you’re hoping to avoid those Christmas price hikes, the researchers also revealed the most expensive days to book a one-way ticket in Australia. Unsurprisingly, the priciest days to fly fall just before Christmas, from December 20th to 22nd, or right after, from December 26th to 29th.
During this peak period, flights from Brisbane to other Aussie cities can soar by up to $270. Meanwhile, fares from Sydney or Melbourne to Perth can cost you more than $300 – which is realistically the price of a fancy hotel stay. We’ll let you decide how to spend those hard-earned dollars (but we’ll also leave our guide to the best hotels in Australia right here).
The good news is that compared to last year, domestic flight prices in Australia have dropped over the Christmas period by an average of 9.9 per cent in Brisbane, 14.3 per cent in Melbourne and 6.1 per cent in Sydney. Looks like Santa’s really looking out for us this year.