Are you friggatriskaidekaphobic? (And what does that even mean!?…we hear you ask). Allow us to enlighten you. Friggatriskaidekaphobia is a name for the fear of Friday the 13th – a superstition as enduring in the subconscious as broken mirrors and black cats. The skeptics among us can probably skip to the next paragraph at this point, but for the secret friggatriskaidephobics out there, we have good news. It turns out that Friday the 13th can actually be extremely beneficial for those who can put their fears aside, with research showing that their are fewer accidents on the road, cheaper insurance claims and, for thrifty Brits, cheaper flights departing on this date.
We’ve compared prices for flights to Britain’s ten most popular May travel destinations that depart on Friday the 13th with prices for the other days of the month and the news is not so scary after all.* So grab your rabbit’s foot, hang your horseshoe on the door and take a look at the savings we’ve found for you.
Spooky savings
Some believe this is the unluckiest day of 2016, but flight prices to Britain’s ten most popular May travel destinations on Friday 13th May are actually spookily good. It turns out that flights are, on average, a whopping 14% cheaper for travellers brave enough to fly this Friday. Even better, by departing on this date rather than any other in May, great savings can be found from the UK to popular destinations such as Copenhagen (41% cheaper), Malaga (17% cheaper) and Venice (15% cheaper).
For those of you hoping to fight Friday the 13th’s dark reputation with some light-filled fun in the sun, the forecast is also very positive. Popular Southern European destinations also show great reductions in price, with flights to Rome 14% cheaper than on any other Friday in the month, followed by Lisbon (13%) and Madrid (11%). Good omens all round.
To give in to superstition or not
You may walk around a ladder rather than under it, or panic when a black cat crosses your path, but are you going to let that stop you from taking advantage of these great deals? Many airlines don’t have an aisle 13 to cater to the superstitious, but will happily tell you that flying on Friday the 13th is as safe as any other. So, if you’d rather bag a bargain than have to explain to someone that you’re not flying because you are friggatriskaideaphobic (good luck trying to pronounce it), this could prove to be the best day of the year to reach your dream destination. To help you keep on top of these bargains for the next Friday the 13th (which is 13 January 2017, so you have plenty of time), set up a Price Alert. Once you’ve booked the best deal, all you have to do is cross your fingers, touch wood and take off.
*Data is based on flight searches on KAYAK.co.uk between 01.01.2015 till 27.04.2016 for round trips with any departure date in May 2016, respectively on 13.05.2016. Prices indicated are subject to change, may vary or are no longer available anymore. Savings can not be guaranteed.
