When should I book a flight to save? With a search lasting 3 years, Skyscanner found that most Italian tourists miss out on the best vacation deals simply by booking at the wrong time. In fact, Cheapest time when booking a flight with departures from Italy is generally 7 weeks in advance, timing that allows travellers an average savings of 13%. But there are not many who know. In addition, the study also reports interesting tips to travel intelligently, saving...
Italians on the road: the long-range optics
The research shows that travelers looking for holidays in early summer should start thinking about their journey now. Taking into account some popular European destinations, such as France and Portugal, it is more useful to think of them as if they were long-range when it comes to making the reservation. The best time to book for Portugal, which has seen an increase of interest by Italians by 30% over the last year*, it is 18 weeks in advance, which is the same period as for a long-range destination like the United States.
Booking a flight to Portugal with the right advance of the departure date, travelers can average cost savings of 35% on the average ticket price, about 85€. Regarding Spain, number one foreign destination for the Italians and neighbors of Portugal, both geographically and in terms of climate, the best time to book is just 6 weeks before departure.
Last minute travelers: the offers are still available
For those looking for a mini-break in the spring of 2014, the data shows that this could be the best time to book. For the United Kingdom, whose capital is the city number one visited by the Italians in 2013*, best time when booking a flight is 7 weeks in advance. Research shows that travellers can even up to 43% on the average price of the ticket (about 92€).
While those travelers who prefer to wait for the summer to book their trip can still save money in their booking and find the best time to book to some of the most popular summer destinations. For example, the best time for booking in Greece is only 6 weeks in advance compared to the departure date, allowing travellers a savings of approximately 34% (about 91)€). The best month to travel in Greece is May, offering on average a savings of 57% compared to a booking made in August, the most expensive month to travel from Italy.
The Belpaese: the best period
The search shows that knowing already the destination can make the search more convenient, with some big differences in the prices of flights between one destination and the other. However, thanks to the research some useful travel tips have emerged in addition to the best months to travel from Italy.
7 weeks before booking your flight is the cheapest time to make reservations with departures from Italy. While the period considered more expensive when booking a flight is 21 weeks ahead compared to the departure.
It is worth travelling from Italy during the month of May which turned out to be the cheapest. Travelling during this month is an average of 13% compared to travelling during the other months of the year.
On a more detailed level, the fifth week of the year, what normally falls between January and February is also the cheapest week. In this case travel just during these seven days saving rises to 17% compared to the average cost of the other weeks. While considering the various markets globally the best time to book is average between 3 and 4 weeks in advance (about 21-28 days).
