The best times to book cheap flights to popular destinations, from Barcelona to Berlin, during peak holiday seasons have been revealed by Which? researchers.
And according to their study, you’ll need to be organised to make the biggest savings, with optimum booking dates for the cheapest flights ranging from five weeks to six months in advance.
The study also revealed the overall cheapest month to fly.
Researchers at Which? Travel produced the guide by analysing average return flight prices in 2023 and 2024 on Skyscanner.
The destination that suits last-minute bookers the best is Faro in the Algarve, Portugal, with the cheapest summer-break August fares available five weeks in advance.
The best times to book cheap flights to popular destinations, from Barcelona to Berlin, during peak holiday seasons have been revealed by Which? researchers using Skyscanner data
| 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, Portugal | 14 weeks | 5 weeks | 10 weeks | January, £61 |
| Lisbon | 22 weeks | 16 weeks | 17 weeks | December, £63 |
| Mallorca | 14 weeks | 13 weeks | 19 weeks | March, £55 |
| Nice | 14 weeks | 24 weeks | 23 weeks | November, £72 |
| Krakow | 24 weeks | 25 weeks | 11 weeks | January, £48 |
| Paris | 21 weeks | 26 weeks | 15 weeks | January, £73 |
| Prague | 15 weeks | 19 weeks | 16 weeks | January, £62 |
| Seville | 13 weeks | 25 weeks | 17 weeks | January, £55 |
| Tenerife | 19 weeks | 10 weeks | 8 weeks | January, £76 |
| Valencia | 12 weeks | 12 weeks | 11 weeks | January, £45 |
| Source: Which? | ||||
Paris, meanwhile, is the summer destination that contrasts most sharply with Faro, with British holidaymakers needing to book 26 weeks (six months) in advance for the cheapest August flights to the French capital. Which? adds that, in fact, ‘now’ might 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 in Poland.
Meanwhile, for a December trip to Tenerife, you need to book eight weeks in advance, compared with Nice where the cheapest flights were found 23 weeks in advance.
And for a Christmas trip to New York or Sydney or Bangkok, you don’t need to book as far ahead as you may think. For Sydney and Bangkok, the best prices were found by booking in September, while for New York it was mid-October.
The researchers found that January was the cheapest month to fly to most places, with fares available for as little as £39 to Dublin and £50 for Barcelona.
Further afield, Which? found that March was the cheapest time to fly to New York, with a return flight costing just £201 on average.
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.’
| 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 | Jan, Feb or March, £386 |
| Cape Town | N/A | N/A | N/A | March, £472 |
| Chicago | N/A | N/A | N/A | Nov, £308 |
| New York | 14 weeks | 7 weeks | 11 weeks | March, £201 |
| Sydney | 22 weeks | 8 weeks | 15 weeks | Nov, £525 |
| Tokyo | N/A | N/A | N/A | November or December, £397 |
| Source: Which? | ||||
Naomi Leach, Deputy Editor of Which? Travel, said: ‘For those looking for a bargain trip, our findings show January is generally the cheapest time to fly short-haul’