New data from Skyscanner, drawn from more than 50 million users and their fall and winter bookings, suggest that securing the best flight deals often does not require months of advance planning. According to the analysis, the biggest savings for holiday flights typically appear within the four-week window before travel dates.
“Americans left a record-breaking 658 million unused vacation days on the table last year alone, and we are committed to making travel more attainable, especially around the holidays. We prepare this data in the hopes of helping travelers see that holiday travel is something they can budget for and plan with ease so they can spend their well-earned time off with loved ones,” said Randi Wolfson, head of communications, the Americas, at Skyscanner.
For Thanksgiving travel, Skyscanner recommends waiting until the last week of October to book. That week shows the highest potential savings—around 7.7 percent—for trips during the third week of November. Booking at the very last minute reduces potential savings to just under 2 percent.
Those planning Christmas travel should consider booking over Thanksgiving week. The data show that Thanksgiving week is the optimal time to purchase tickets for late-December travel, with peak savings near 6.41 percent. The first week of December is the next-best window, offering savings just under 5 percent.
New Year’s travel tends to offer the largest discounts when booked in the first week of December, with savings that can reach 10 percent or more. Savings decline after that point, but travelers who wait until a week before departure can still find discounts of roughly 6.72 percent.
Skyscanner also surveyed Twitter users about holiday booking habits and found a broad range of behaviors: 44 percent of respondents said they book travel at least six months in advance, 17 percent book three to five months before departure, and 39 percent book less than six weeks ahead.