Summer flight prices soar: KAYAK reveals travel hacks to get the best deals

• Summer Europe flights already up around 32% on last year

• Save about 54% on long-haul flights by booking in January

• Save about 47% on flights to Europe by booking by February

Prices for flights to Europe this summer are up around 32%, with average flight prices at £237 compared to £180 on average last year.*

Flight prices for long-haul destinations are up around 27%, from an average of £617 in 2022 to £785 this year. Despite this, UK travellers are still determined to get away, with flight searches for this summer up around 41% on last year, according to data by KAYAK, the world’s leading travel search engine.

And prices are only expected to go up the closer it gets to the summer season. Annie Wilson, Chief Commercial Officer at KAYAK, reveals the top hacks to get the best deals for the holiday season.

1. Early booking offers luring discounts. Booking your European summer trip NOW (141 days in advance) can allow you to save around 47% of your flight price, compared to booking on the departure day. Same rule goes for long-haul travel, with flight prices being about 54% lower when booking 178 days in advance.** For those unsure about long-term commitments, many airlines offer flexible cancellation policies which you can use to rearrange your booking when plans change. Use KAYAK’s filter for flexible options to find flight deals with no change fees.
2. Shoulder season is a wallet-saver. Opting for travelling in June can secure you a discount of over a third of your flight price (up to around 37%) compared to what you could pay for going to your favourite abroad destinations in July and August.** And there are more positives for off-peak season travel, for example, it’s easier to book a nice hotel room or enjoy the most popular sights when there’s fewer people around. Sign up for KAYAK’s Price Alert to catch the best deal.
3. Keep away from weekend departures to cut costs. Picking up a flight departing on Tuesday can lessen the cost of flight by around 15% compared to departing on Saturday, the most expensive day for starting a trip to Europe. While embarking on a long-haul journey, a Tuesday take-off can cost you around 9% less than leaving on a Friday.**
4. Weaker local currency cuts down travel expenses. Consider travelling to a destination with a weaker local currency than your own currency, e.g. Japan, Turkey, India, to pare down your holiday expenses in a destination.

Annie Wilson added: “Prices are already up for summer holidays this year, and are only expected to increase the closer we get to the peak season. We’ve looked over the price trends from last year to identify when prices are likely to jump up this year, and January seems to be the best time to book to get the best deals for long-haul getaways, while for flights to Europe you have a few more weeks to plan, but we’d recommend booking by February. There will be good deals up for grabs in 2023, but investing more time to research and in comparing prices. As well as booking earlier in advance will be key to saving on travel this year.”

For a wallet-friendly summer getaway, Milan, Italy currently costs an average of £115. Or if you are looking for a resort or beach holiday, Palma de Mallorca is £205 on average. For a long-haul getaway, you could see the pyramids in Cairo for an average of £443, or head to the beaches in Florida, with flights to Miami for £662 on average.

For more offers, check out the KAYAK flight deals, which highlights destinations with great value prices.

– ENDS –

Note to editors:

KAYAK offers a wide range of tools including a variety of search filters to find the flights, cars and hotels to help travellers book their next getaway including:

• Explore: Debating where to travel? Use KAYAK’s Explore tool to see all the amazing places you can visit within a given price range.

• Flexible Dates: KAYAK’s flexible dates tool shows you how much you’ll save just by having some wiggle room on your arrival or departure dates.

• Price Forecast: Use KAYAK’s price forecast tool so you know the likelihood of your flight price rising within 30 days, helping you determine whether you should book now or wait.

• Price Alerts: Never miss a deal by signing up for KAYAK’s customised price alerts so you know when prices change for the flight or hotel you want.

*Based on flight searches made on Kayak.co.uk and associated sites in the period between 01.10.2022 and 02.01.2023 compared to the period between 01/10/2021 and 02/01/2022 for flights with departure between 01.06.2023 and 15.09.2023 compared to the same period in 2022 for travel from any UK airport. All prices are average prices for economy, return tickets. Prices may vary and savings cannot be guaranteed. Percentages for changes in searches are approximate.

**KAYAK considered its historical data based on flight searches made by UK travellers on KAYAK and its associated brands between 1/01/2022 and 15/09/2022 for travels between 1/06/2022 and 15/09/2022. Percentages are on average and prices are approximate and may vary with time. All flight searches are for travels with departure from any airport in Europe, round-trip and economy class tickets.

ABOUT KAYAK

KAYAK, part of Booking Holdings INC. (NASDAQ: BKNG), is the world’s leading travel search engine. With billions of queries across our platforms, we help people find their perfect flight, stay and rental car. We also support business travellers with KAYAK for Business, our free corporate travel solution, and are transforming the in-travel experience with our app and new hotel and accommodation software. For more information, visit www.KAYAK.co.uk.