Which? reveals the secret of when to book flights to secure best deals to popular holiday hotspots

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.

When booking a summer break for August, Which? found the cheapest fares to Faro in the Algarve were available five weeks in advance. However, holidaymakers heading for Paris needed to book 26 weeks in advance - meaning now could be the time to start searching for flights for this summer.

For those looking to travel during the Easter holidays, the Which? analysis suggests you should book 12 weeks in advance for Dublin or Valencia but as much as 24 weeks for Berlin and Krakow.

For a Christmas shopping trip to New York, or winter sun in Bangkok or Sydney, travellers need to plan in advance - but not as far ahead as some may think. For December trips to Sydney and Bangkok the best prices were found by booking in September, while for New York it was mid-October.

For consumers looking for budget friendly flights, the consumer champion found that January was the cheapest month to fly. Since it is off season, flights were available for as little as £39 to Dublin and £50 for Barcelona on average in January.

Which? also found that March was the cheapest time to fly to New York with a return flight costing on average just £201.

Which? found that for a December trip to Tenerife, you needed to book eight weeks in advance, compared with Nice where the cheapest flights were found a more substantial 23 weeks in advance.

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.
“For those looking for a bargain trip, our findings show January is generally the cheapest time to fly short haul, as long as you don’t mind the cold weather.
“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.”

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors

Bargain short-haul flights

Destination	How far in advance to book for April	How far in advance to book for August	How far in advance to book for Christmas	Cheapest month to fly
Amsterdam	20 weeks	15 weeks	20 weeks	January, £86
Athens	18 weeks	6 weeks	10 weeks	January, £75
Barcelona	17 weeks	13 weeks	17 weeks	January, £50
Berlin	24 weeks	24 weeks	20 weeks	January, £61
Budapest	17 weeks	6 weeks	8 weeks	January, £62
Dublin	12 weeks	13 weeks	12 weeks	January, £39
Faro	14 weeks	5 weeks	10 weeks	January, £61

Bargain long-haul flights

Destination	How far in advance to book for April	How far in advance to book for August	How far in advance to book for Christmas	Cheapest month to fly
Bangkok	25 weeks	8 weeks	16 weeks	January, February or March £386
Cape Town	n/a	n/a	n/a	March, £472
Chicago	n/a	n/a	n/a	November, £308
New York	14 weeks	7 weeks	11 weeks	March, £201
Sydney	22 weeks	8 weeks	15 weeks	November, £525
Tokyo	n/a	n/a	n/a	November and December, £397

Prices are average return fares, based on bookings made in the 18 months up to November 2024 on Skyscanner.

About Which?

Which? is the UK’s consumer champion, here to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone. Our research gets to the heart of consumer issues, our advice is impartial, and our rigorous product tests lead to expert recommendations. We’re the independent consumer voice that influences politicians and lawmakers, investigates, holds businesses to account and makes change happen. As an organisation we’re not for profit and all for making consumers more powerful.

The information in this press release is for editorial use by journalists and media outlets only. Any business seeking to reproduce information in this release should contact the Which? Endorsement Scheme team at endorsementscheme@which.co.uk.