Cheap flights to popular holiday destinations are always an exciting find. They don’t always have to be hard to come by, however – provided you know the right hacks. A new investigation by travel money specialist FairFX has revealed that Britons hoping to still get away for a ‘second summer’ could save up to £1,000. With children all now back at school, just four simple tricks could help you bag bargain flights this September.
FairFX’s first top tip is to check multiple flight departure dates. Their research revealed changing your departure date by just two days could result in big savings.
A big misconception is that flying at the end of September means cheaper flights, but in fact, early and mid-month flights proved to be lower cost in 50 per cent of cases.
FairFX found that travelling to Tenerife from Birmingham Airport on 19 September instead of 21 September would save a couple £353.
Similarly, flying to Tenerife from Manchester four days earlier would create a saving of £245 per couple.
Looking further afield, flying on 17 September to Dubai rather than 12 September saves £288.
For those who are happy to travel later, the largest saving FairFX found was for flights to Croatia from Gatwick, where departing 10 days later (26 September rather than 16 September) would save £687 per couple.
Secondly, travellers should check alternative airports if they’re hoping to spend less.
FairFX’s investigation found that, on average, the cost of flights heading to Cyprus from Gatwick airport were £252 less than at Birmingham airport.
Furthermore, switching to Glasgow instead of Birmingham for trips to Croatia would save an average of £155 per couple.
Dubai flights were cheapest from Gatwick with an average price of £709, compared to £722 from Birmingham, £751 from Manchester and £801 from Newcastle.
The travel money specialists’ third top tip was to fly on the right day of the week to save over a third.
Findings showed that average flight costs can vary by as much as 36 per cent depending on which the day of the week holidaymakers chose to fly, with departures on Monday to Wednesday offering the best value on average.
Wednesday is the cheapest day of the week to fly to Tenerife and holidaymakers can save 22 per cent on the cost of flights compared to flying on a Saturday – the most expensive day of the week. That’s the equivalent to £107 in savings.
Those heading for a second summer in Cyprus can save 26 per cent or £152 on average by flying on a Tuesday instead of Saturday.
While for longer haul flights, holidaymakers can save on average nine per cent – equivalent to £72, by flying to Dubai on a Monday instead of a Sunday.
Flying to Croatia on a Wednesday instead of a Monday can help holidaymakers save £206, or 36 per cent on average.
The last trick is to always compare package prices if you’re looking for a package holiday.
FairFX found it pays to compare before you book and that once again travelling later in the month doesn’t always mean a cheaper break. The investigation found that picking the cheapest week to getaway could result in savings of up to 37 per cent on the cost of a holiday.
FairFX compared prices for over 75 package holidays departing from the middle to the end of September, finding that an average saving of 37 per cent (equivalent to over £660) was possible by simply picking the right week to go.
A trip to the lakes in Italy was best value for departures on the weekend of 28 September, with average savings of 37 per cent available compared to just one week earlier.
Florida was also cheapest at the end of September, with package prices 25 per cent lower on average than just two weeks earlier. But for packages to Tenerife, it pays to avoid the end of the month, with trips departing 21 September being on average 5 per cent cheaper than those a week later.
Ian Strafford-Taylor, CEO of FairFX, said: “Many people assume that holiday prices drop as soon as the official school holidays are over and continue getting cheaper as the summer months draw to a close, but that’s simply not the case. Travel operators and flight providers are inconsistent with their pricing but it’s something holidaymakers can use to their advantage if they look closely.”
“Our investigation found that there are still huge differences in prices across the course of the ‘second summer’ months for flights and package holidays, and for those who haven’t yet taken a trip abroad making even just small changes to their holiday planning could result in them getting much more for their money.”
“Changing the date of your travel by even two days could save you hundreds of pounds and picking a different departure airport even slightly further away from home could save you considerably.”
If your flights are delayed or cancelled, MoneySavingExpert Martin Lewis has revealed how you could claim up to £540 in compensation.
This is thanks to EU regulation 261/2004 – which you should reference when making a claim.
There are three criteria that need to be met under this regulation – and you can claim back for any delayed flight going back to 2013.
