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10 Aug, 2015

Skyscanner Reveals the Best Time to Book 2015 U.S. Holiday Travel

MIAMI–(BUSINESS WIRE)-August 04, 2015 – Global travel search engine, Skyscanner, uncovered that Week 33, August 10, is an ideal time to purchase all holiday air travel tickets – Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Through analysis of 2014 purchasing patterns, Skyscanner saw that Thanksgiving week tickets booked during week 33 garnered a nearly 5.5 percent savings, while Christmas-time flights saw close to 19 percent savings, and New Year’s Eve air travel purchased during this week saw close to 15 percent in savings.

“Skyscanner aims to make travel planning and booking as easy as possible,” says Jenny Stephens, General Manager of the Americas, Skyscanner. “Examining trends and patterns through our data, and sharing our learnings is one way that we look to help travelers make their best travel decisions and save money. The holidays should be a joyous time with friends and family, not a time to worry about travel planning and costs.”

In a recent study commissioned by Skyscanner, 52 percent of respondents noted they’re more likely to wait two to three months prior to their desired departure date to book flights. Survey results also revealed that 12 percent of survey participants wait less than a month in advance to book flights. Through historical data, Skyscanner has seen savings for last minute bookings as well.

  • For Thanksgiving, historic data found that booking flights 10 weeks prior (Sept. 14 to Sept. 20) could save an average of four percent. For last minute bookers, two weeks before Thanksgiving may save an average of 3.8 percent on flights.
  • For those looking to book flights for Christmas, Skyscanner found the weeks of Aug. 31 and Sept. 28 could generate savings of 12.7 percent and 9.1 percent respectively. Last minute bookers should consider Nov. 2 to Nov. 8 for a possible 4.8 percent savings.
  • Booking the week of Sept. 14 and the week of Sept. 28 for New Year’s may results in savings of 8.5 percent on flights. For last minute bookings, the week of Dec. 14 could result in savings of an average of 6.3 percent.

Though holiday is a peak season for travel, travelers should be on the lookout for bargains at any time. To snag the best deal, Skyscanner also suggests:

  • Track flight prices: Skyscanner’s Price Alerts will send you notifications when your price drops, so you can buy your tickets at their lowest.
  • Book smart: Knowing when to book is important, but also how, like flying at less popular hours of the day, flying indirect or out of nearby airports and flying out with one airline and back with another, can help lower costs.
  • Be flexible: For travelers who want to take advantage of the holiday season but don’t have a family destination in mind use Skyscanner’s Everywhere search. This flexible search tool shows top flight deals around the world, while providing travel inspiration.

For more information, please visit http://www.skyscanner.com.