CHRISTMAS 2017 TRAVEL UNCOVERED

Cheapest day to travel, busiest day to travel and where to go for the best value this Yule Tide, Skyscanner uncovers it all

 

As the festive season fast approaches, the travel experts at Skyscanner.net have been trawling through their extensive data to uncover this year’s Christmas flight travel trends. The data delves into the cheapest (and most expensive) days to travel, the most popular destinations, those destinations which are growing in popularity, where the best value destinations are and which airports are proving to be the most popular.

Hayley Shearer, Growth Manager from Skyscanner observes: “Our data shows Christmas travel bookings tend to be last minute with almost half (43%²) of exits for Christmas travel made throughout November and December. With this in mind we wanted to make sure travellers were armed with the latest Christmas flight trending data in order to make the best decisions e.g. travelling on Christmas Day has long been believed to be the cheapest day over the festive period, however, our data is showing the reverse to be true.  

“For those seeking the very best value we recommend Reykjavik, which has seen an 18%4 drop in flight prices this year compared to last. Or if you’re looking to celebrate in warmer climes Lanzarote has also seen substantial price drops (10% decrease YoY4).  To find the best Christmas flight deals we recommend setting up price alerts so travellers are notified as soon as the prices change and if you’re not picky about your destination try our search everywhere feature – we’ll give you the very cheapest options for your chosen dates and departure airport.”

Interactive infogram can be viewed here

 

DISPELLING MYTHS – Cheapest Day to Fly

If all you want for Christmas is a cheap flight, avoid flying on Christmas Day according to Skyscanner.  Despite popular belief that Christmas Day is a cheap day to travel it is in fact the most expensive day over the festive period (12% higher than the average flight price for flights from the UK to all destinations between 16th – 31st December 2017)¹.  The cheapest day to travel is 30th December, saving 27% on the average festive flight price¹.  For travel out of the UK before Christmas Day, 23rd December is the cheapest, saving 21% compared to the most expensive day to fly (Christmas Day)¹.

Interactive infogram can be viewed here

AVOID THE RUSH – Busiest Day to travel

Skyscanner is also reporting that the Friday before Christmas is typically the busiest day for travel over the key festive period, with more people travelling out of UK airports on this day than any other between 16th – 31st December 2017².  If you are looking for a quieter flight and have some unused holiday to use up, Skyscanner recommends flying out on 17th December as this is the quietest day for travel.

Busiest Day for Travel over Festive Period 2017
	% of overall bookings made between 16th - 31st December 2017²
22 December 2017	11
23 December 2017	9
21 December 2017	8
20 December 2017	7
16 December 2017	7
27 December 2017	6
18 December 2017	6
26 December 2017	6
24 December 2017	6
19 December 2017	6
28 December 2017	6
29 December 2017	5
25 December 2017	5
17 December 2017	4
30 December 2017	4
31 December 2017	3

 

WHERE ARE PEOPLE GOING – Most Popular Destinations for Christmas 2017

It looks like travellers are setting their sights on destinations that are further afield with Bangkok topping the charts, closely followed by New York and then Sydney.  Amsterdam is leading the way for European destinations, followed by Dublin and Athens3.

2017 Most Popular Destinations for Christmas 2017
	Destination²	Average Flight Price³
1	Bangkok	£836.00
2	New York	£516.95
3	Sydney	£1,254.73
4	Dubai	£623.76
5	Amsterdam	£98.72
6	Melbourne	£1,260.24
7	Dublin	£96.26
8	Manila	£798.75
9	Athens	£303.12
10	Lagos	£818.32

 

However, when looking at which destinations are growing in popularity Accra, Ghana has seen the biggest growth for the Christmas period (comparing year on year growth).  Europe is seeing a surge in popularity with eight of the ten destinations in Europe.  Spain is dominating this growth with Madrid leading the way with 68%, followed by Malaga (33%)4.

Biggest % Growth Destinations for Christmas 20174
	Destination	% growth YoY	2017 Average Flight Price³
1	Accra	84%	£677.27
2	Madrid	68%	£211.86
3	Malaga	33%	£172.03
4	Lisbon	33%	£226.34
5	Lagos	28%	£818.32
6	Istanbul	27%	£228.11
7	Reykjavik	25%	£183.80
8	Belfast	24%	£134.47
9	Milan	22%	£129.42
10	Larnaca	22%	£286.24

 

where to go for value – Best Value Destinations for Christmas 2017

It seems the colder destinations are the places to go for travellers looking to find the best value flights this Christmas. Northern Lights seekers should head to Reykjavik, which has seen the largest drop in average flight price of 18% YoY (saving a family of four £165.88), whilst ski hub Geneva is showing a 12% drop in average flight prices4.  For those seeking a bit more warmth, Lanzarote’s flight prices are down 10%, saving a family of four £126.16. Alicante has also seen a 10% drop in flight prices4.

CHRISTMAS 2017 PRICE DROP DESTINATIONS
	Destinations	2016 Average Flight Price 5	2017 Average Flight Price³	% change in Average  Flight Price YoY4
1	Reykjavik (REYK)	£225.27	£183.80	-18
2	Geneva (GENE)	£132.47	£117.06	-12
3	Lanzarote (ARRE)	£312.75	£281.20	-10
4	Alicante (ALIC)	£165.44	£149.61	-10
5	Tenerife (TENE)	£306.56	£292.02	-5
6	Accra (ACCA)	£706.97	£677.27	-4
7	Amsterdam (AMST)	£101.07	£98.72	-2
8	Barcelona (BARC)	£121.51	£119.38	-2
9	Berlin (BERL)	£122.84	£121.78	-0.9
10	New Delhi (IDEL)	£698.57	£698.24	-0.05

 

WHERE ARE TRAVELLERS FLYING FROM? – Most Popular Airports for Christmas 2017

With long haul destinations dominating the most popular routes, it would come as no surprise that Heathrow is leading the way in the popularity stakes this Christmas and with Gatwick close behind.  Edinburgh leads the way for Scotland, but just one position before Glasgow International.  Manchester is proving most popular for the North West, Newcastle takes the top spot in the North East and Bristol for the South West6.

Most Popular Airports for Christmas 2017 Departures6
1	London Heathrow
2	London Gatwick
3	Manchester
4	London Stansted
5	Birmingham
6	Edinburgh
7	Glasgow International
8	London Luton
9	Bristol
10	Newcastle

 

However, travellers looking to get the best deals should consider using Skyscanner nearby airport tool.  By switching from Manchester to  Liverpool for flights to Malaga, could save a family of four £356 (£258 per person v £347 per person)7

 

great Deals Still Available

For those who are still to plan their Christmas get away, Sksycanner.net is still showing some great deals

 

Christmas weekend in Dublin from just £194.50* per person with Skyscanner.net.  Departing Liverpool on 23rd December and returning on 27th December based on two people sharing a room at the 4 star Red Cow Moran Hotel.  Flight details here. Hotel details here.

 

Family of four Christmas week in Alicante from just £622* with breakfast included with Skyscanner.net.  Departing Glasgow International on 21st December and returning on 28th December based on four people sharing a room at the 4-star Holiday Inn Playa De San Juan (breakfast included).  Flight details here. Hotel details here

 

Christmas week in New York from just £764.50* per person with Skyscanner.net.  Departing London Gatwick on 20th December and returning on 27th December based on two people sharing a room at the 4 star Gowanus Inn & Yard  Flight details here. Hotel details here

 

Christmas In Bangkok from just £1,170* per person (breakfast included) with Skyscanner.net.  Departing London Heathrow on 11th December and returning on 27th December based on two people sharing a room at the four star Le Bangkok Hotel (breakfast included)  Flight details here. Hotel details here.

 

*Prices correct at time of publication

 

 

Skyscanner has the following travel hacks to help travellers find the best deals this festive season:

• Be flexible on the date of travel and consider travelling on a week day rather than the weekend –  You might find it’s significantly cheaper to travel a day before or a day after your original departure dates.  Skyscanner has just launched their Money Saving button which flags to travellers if their flight might be cheaper if they were to travel a day earlier or a day later.  Also considering flying on less popular days of the week. It pays to do your research by using Skyscanner’s Month View search tool.
• Mix and Match: Fares don’t have to be booked as returns, instead you can save money by flying out with one airline and back with another.
• Nearby Airports: Just click on ‘add nearby airports’ when creating your search and see if a short drive, bus or train journey could save you pounds
• Search Everywhere: For those with a limited budget but an unlimited imagination, Skyscanner recommends using its Search Everywhere tool, which will find the cheapest destinations to travel to for a specific date period.
• Monitor prices - The best way of getting a good fare is to keep track of the prices by setting up a price alert so that you are notified when prices rise or fall on a specific route.

 

-ends –

For more information, please contact Emma Wiseman on 07747 343233 or emma.wiseman@skyscanner.net

 

¹ Based on Skyscanner.net average flight price data for average return economy flights from the UK to all destinations between 16th December – 31st December 2017, exiting the site between 1st January – 5th November 2017.

² Based on Skyscanner.net flight exit data for economy return flights from the UK to all destinations between 16th December – 31st December 2017, exiting the site between 1st January – 5th November 2017.

³ Based on Skyscanner.net average flight price data for average return economy flights from the UK to destinations listed between 16th December – 31st December 2017, exiting the site between 1st January – 5th November 2017.

4 Based on Skyscanner.net average flight price data for average return economy flights from the UK to destinations listed between 16th December – 31st December 2016, exiting the site between 1st January – 5th November 2016 comparing againgst. 16th December – 31st December 2017, exiting the site between 1st January – 5th November 2017.

5 Based on Skyscanner.net average flight price data for average return economy flights from the UK to destinations listed between 16th December – 31st December 2016, exiting the site between 1st January – 5th November 2016.

6 Based on Skyscanner.net exits for economy flights from the UK to destinations listed between 16th December – 31st December 2017, exiting the site between 1st January – 5th November 2017. Filtered by Airports.

7  Comparing flights from London Gatwick and London Heathrow to Tenerife departing on 23rd December, returning on 30th December.  Prices accurate as of 7th November 2017.

Notes to editors

 

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