Expedia’s 2023 Air Travel Hacks Report: What day UK travellers should book on to save on airfare and how to avoid flight delays

As we head into the holidays and a brand-new year, many have already expanded their travel plans and aspirations. But if we’ve learned anything from 2022, traveling isn’t always so simple, as travellers encounter unpredictable flight prices, delays and cancellations. Thankfully, Expedia has released its 2023 Air Travel Hacks Report, providing industry tips to help save travellers time and money.

The main takeaway? Plan wisely by taking advantage of price alerts as timing is KEY when it comes to hacking air travel.

Air travel is on the runway to recovery

Average ticket prices began to surpass 2019 levels around April this year, driven by the rebound in demand and lowering of travel restrictions. After peaking during the summer months, airfare prices dropped again for autumn and are expected to rise again for the busy holiday period.¹ While overall capacity (airplane seats available for a given route) has been increasing over the course of the year, it still sits below 2019 levels as airlines work to fully restore operations to pre-pandemic levels.²

From when to book to maximising loyalty perks, here’s Expedia’s guide to hacking travel in 2023.

When to book

Book on a Sunday to save up to 20%³
Travellers who book on Sundays instead of Fridays tend to save, on average, around 20% on domestic flights and 10% on international flights.

Book at least 2 months before domestic flights to save 30%⁴
The sweet spot for snagging the best price on domestic flights falls between 70-100 days before departure (so about 14 weeks in advance of travel). Travellers that booked during that period tended to save 30% on average compared to those who waited until the last minute (0 – 3 weeks before travel).

Book almost 4 months before international flights to save 20%⁴
Travellers who booked around six months in advance of international travel tended to save 20% compared to those who waited until two months or less to book.

How to avoid flight disruptions

Depart before 11am to reduce the chance of cancellations⁵
Travellers who want the best chance for smooth travel should aim for early flights. Based on year-to-date flight-status data, flights that depart before 11am are 11% less likely to be impacted by flight cancellations.

Travel off-peak⁶
Data shows that avoiding the peak travel periods can have more benefits than just cost-savings. Historically, March is the most reliable month to travel, with the shortest average length of delays, compared to July with the highest (184 minutes on average).

When to travel

Depart on a Saturday to save up to 20%⁷ on domestic flights and on a Friday to save 15% on international flights
In general, travellers who started a domestic trip on a Saturday, versus the beginning of the week, saved 20% on flights. For international flights, travellers who departed on a Friday saved 15%, the same as our 2022 findings.

How to save on your trip

When it just isn’t possible to follow every travel hack, there are still a few easy ways to save on your next trip. 

• Book airfare, hotel and car at the same time on Expedia. This is otherwise known as bundling and can unlock savings.

• Sign up for loyalty and frequent flier programs or risk leaving money on the table. Expedia members earn Rewards points for eligible bookings that can be redeemed as discounts off their next trip.^*

• Earn air miles on top of Expedia Rewards points by entering mileage plan numbers at checkout. It’s an easy way to double-dip and rack up travel rewards even faster.

Follow Expedia on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. To learn more about the Airlines Reporting Corporation and OAG visit www.arccorp.com and www.oag.com.

Data sources

1. Price-development information is based on average round-trip ticket prices for January through August for 2022 and average round-trip ticket prices for January through December for 2019, sourced from ARC’s global airline sales database. 

2. Capacity-trend information is based on number of flights and seats offered by airlines for January 2019 through December 2022, sourced from ARC’s global airline dales database.

3. Best day of the week to book recommendation is based on average round-trip ticket prices for January through August 2022, sourced from ARC’s global airline sales database.

4. Ideal booking window recommendation is based on average round-trip ticket prices for January through August for 2022, sourced from ARC’s global airline sales database.

5. Most reliable time of day to travel recommendation is based on January through August 2022 flight-status data sourced from OAG’s global flight data platform.

6. Most reliable month to travel recommendation is based on January through August 2022 flight status data sourced from OAG’s global flight data platform.

7. Best day of the week to depart recommendation is based on average round-trip ticket prices for January through August for 2022, sourced from ARC’s global airline sales database.

* Travel insurance and certain package bookings excluded. Rewards terms apply. See site for details.