Report includes money- and stress-saving
hacks for the holidays and beyond
New research finds air travel is a cause of
stress for 39% of Canadians
TORONTO, Sept. 27,
2023 /CNW/ -- Expedia's 2024 Air Travel Hacks Report
was released today, providing the latest essential tips to save
travellers time and money on flights, and make air travel less
stressful, from when to book, how to avoid cancellations and the
best day to depart on your trip.
The report comes at a time when travellers are beginning to plan
their holiday getaways and are feeling overwhelmed in the process.
According to a survey* of 1,000 Canadian flyers, Expedia found that
39% reported air travel to be stressful and more daunting than a
flooded inbox or sleeping through an alarm. Almost half (43%) of
air travellers find the process of securing a good flight deal
especially stressful, and 17% even checked back on ticket prices
after booking to see if they could have saved more.
"In terms of stress levels, booking your next flight shouldn't
be in the same ballpark as getting a cavity filled," said
Melanie Fish, head of Expedia Group
Brands public relations. "The good news is many of the things that
contribute to travel stress are getting better, and Expedia is
constantly releasing new tools like Price Tracking and Trip
Planner, that make the whole booking and flying journey
smoother."
"Airlines are adding capacity and increasing service to meet the
sustained air travel demand we've seen throughout 2023," said
Chuck Thackston, managing director
of data science and research at ARC. "Air travel has proven
resilient over the past few years, with travellers increasingly
taking to the skies for both business and leisure."
2024 Air Travel Hacks Report
WHEN TO BOOK
- Book airfare on a Sunday to save up to 24%.1
Travellers who book on Sundays instead of Fridays tend to save, on
average, around 17% on domestic flights and 24% on international
flights.
- Book domestic flights at least a month before to save
33%.2 Travellers that booked 25 days prior to
departure saved 33% on average compared to those who waited until
the last minute. For international airfare, avoid booking too early
as prices are comparatively high 106 days out. However, prices also
tend to increase 20 days prior to departure. For optimal
availability, selection and savings, book 30-37 days out.
WHEN TO TRAVEL
- Depart on a Thursday to save up to 13%.3
Avoid departing on Sundays, which are the priciest days, on
average, to start a trip.
- Depart before 3 p.m. to reduce
chance of cancellations.4 24% of Canadian air
travellers try to avoid morning flights because getting up early on
the day of travel gives them additional stress. However,
year-to-date flight status data reveals flights that depart after
3 p.m. have an 18% higher chance, on
average, of being cancelled than those that depart earlier in the
day.
MONEY-SAVING TOOLS
- Price Tracking: Take the guess work out of deciding when
to book with the Price Tracking feature on the Expedia app, which
notifies travellers when flight prices change, and uses exclusive
data to pinpoint the best time to book.
- Bundling: With flights, car rentals, hotels and
activities, Expedia offers a wide selection of customizable
vacation packages in one place, allowing travellers to save
hundreds of dollars on average when booking multiple items on
Expedia. Whether booking items together in the same transaction or
in steps, travellers also have their itinerary all in one place
making it easier to keep track of their journey.
2024 AIR TRAVEL TRENDS
- The number of scheduled long haul flights is nearly at 2019
levels (<5% less versus 2019) and the number of scheduled short
haul flights is at 74% compared to 2019, overall increasing.
Average economy ticket prices have decreased by up to 3% compared
to 2022.5
- Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary range among the most popular domestic
destinations for Canadian flyers. The most popular international
destinations are Las Vegas
(USA), Cancun (Mexico) and New York
City (USA).
6
- The fastest growing destination, according to Expedia flight
demand data, is Beijing in
China.7
ABOUT THE DATA
Expedia's annual Air Travel Hacks Report is backed by an
analysis of billions of data points and the most extensive air
ticketing database in the world through collaboration with Airlines
Reporting Corporation (ARC) and OAG, the world's largest
provider of flight information. Expedia has produced the Air Travel
Hacks Report annually for more than a decade, making it the
ultimate authority on air travel insights and data-driven travel
tips.
About Expedia
Expedia® is one of the world's leading full-service
travel brands, with a mission of helping travellers get the most
out of every trip they take by providing everything they need all
in one place, ensuring they are getting the most out of every trip
they take, and above all else, feel supported every step of the
way.
Our commitment to insights matched with our unprecedented scale
allows us to understand our travellers better than anyone else,
delivering exactly what they need, when they need it. Our
personalized experiences, backed by incredible technology
enable us to deliver the widest selection of product offerings
across accommodations, transportation, activities and experiences
that help you get the most out of your journey.
Use our mobile app or visit www.expedia.ca to
plan your journey with us.
© 2023 Expedia, Inc., an Expedia Group company. All rights
reserved. Expedia and the Airplane logo are trademarks of
Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners. CST#
2029030-50.
Follow Expedia on Instagram,
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Twitter and YouTube.
About Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC)
ARC accelerates the growth of global air travel by delivering
forward-looking travel data, flexible distribution services and
other innovative industry solutions. We are a leading travel
intelligence company that possesses the world's largest, most
comprehensive global airline ticket dataset, including more
than 15 billion passenger flights representing 490 airlines and 230
countries and territories. Our solutions and expertise strengthen
economies and enrich lives by connecting stakeholders across the
travel ecosystem. For more information, visit www.arccorp.com.
About OAG
OAG is the leading data platform for the global travel industry,
powering the growth and innovation of the air travel ecosystem
since 1929. It has the world's largest network of flight
information, covering the whole journey from planning to customer
experience. Customers include airlines, airports, travel technology
players, aviation service providers, government agencies, financial
institutions, and consultancies. Headquartered in the U.K.,
OAG has operations in the U.S., Singapore, Japan, China,
and Lithuania. For more
information, visit: www.oag.com and follow us on
Twitter @OAG Aviation.
Data sources:
1 Best day of the week to book
recommendation is based on average round-trip ticket prices for
flights originating in Canada for
January through August 2023, sourced from ARC's global airline
sales database. Percentages noted are averages.
2 Ideal booking window recommendation is
based on average round-trip ticket prices for flights originating
in Canada for January through
August for 2023, sourced from ARC's global airline sales database.
Percentages noted are averages.
3 Best day of the week to depart
recommendation is based on average round-trip ticket prices for
flights originating in Canada for
January through August for 2022, sourced from ARC's global airline
sales database. Percentages noted are averages.
4 How to avoid flight cancellations
information is based on January through July 2023 flight
status data for flights originating in Canada sourced
from OAG's global flight data
platform. Percentages noted are averages.
5 Capacity information is based on number
of scheduled flights offered by airlines for January 2019 through December 2023, sourced from ARC's global airline
sales database. Price development information is based on average
round-trip ticket prices for January through August for 2023 and
average round-trip ticket prices for January through August for
2022, sourced from ARC's global airline sales database.
6 Most popular destinations information
is based on Expedia's 2023 flight demand to-date.
7 The fastest growing destination
information is based on Expedia's 2023 flight demand to-date and
flight demand in the same period last year.
* The survey about air travel stress was conducted online
among 1,000 Canadian air travellers from August 23-September 24, 2023, by OnePoll on
behalf of Expedia.
SOURCE Expedia