• Skyscanner has crunched tens of thousands of data points for travellers in ten countries around the globe to reveal how the most significant savings can be made
  • Using 2022 global pricing data, Skyscanner has been able to quantify how much travel hacks are really worth, showing travellers how they can make their money go further

Riyadh: With February being the peak time for travel planning, world leading travel site Skyscanner responds to heightened travel demand* and increasingly cost-conscious travelers**, with guidance on how to make their money go further.

Comparing two key – and often shared – travel hacks: when to book & when to travel, Skyscanner can reveal how booking and travelling at the right time can save Saudi travelers on average 447 SAR for optimum booking timing and 404 SAR for travelling on the cheapest day per person.

Currently, the overall best time to book flights from Saudi Arabia is on average 21 weeks before departure and the cheapest day of the week to travel from Saudi Arabia is a Sunday. However, the global travel site has data crunched millions of flight bookings over the last year across its most popular destinations and the results reveal this does not in fact tell the whole story. Not only do these hacks change depending on the destination but also, travelers will find differing results for the same destination but a different month i.e.:

  • From Jeddah, the cheapest day of the week to travel to London in August is a Tuesday vs from Riyadh, which is a Thursday.
  • The best time to book, a flight from Riyadh to Dubai in December is 12 weeks ahead vs from Abu Dhabi to London, which is 23 weeks.
  • The cheapest day of the week to travel to Bangkok from Riyadh in March is a Monday but in June, it is a Wednesday.

Flight pricing algorithms have long been the source of much fascination, but this new data reveals that post-pandemic, the science behind pricing is more complex than ever. Travelers can visit Skyscanner's 2023 Savings Generator to calculate these savings for themselves. Skyscanner has pulled together hundreds of popular departure airports and destinations pairings to reveal these important insights for travelers currently planning their trips.

Ayoub El Mamoun, Skyscanner Travel Expert, says,  

“Most people aren’t aware of some of the simple tips and travel hacks that could open up vast savings for them, which is now more important than ever. These insights don’t have to be driven by industry hearsay: at Skyscanner we have access to thousands of data points powering our recommendations to unlock this intel for everyone. We’re testing out sharing this insight via www.skyscanner-travel-tool.net/?locale=en-US&currency=SAR for  Saudi travelers to be able to calculate trip savings themselves, based on our top 15 most popular route for each month of the year.”  

“When searching for the right price, we know how powerful being informed is, so Skyscanner’s tools are designed to enable travellers to feel confident when they book. Signing up to Skyscanner’s price alerts is a great way to keep on top of price changes to your favourite destination, meaning you’ll be the first to know about any price drops.”

As supply and demand largely dictates flight pricing, Skyscanner’s wealth of historical booking trends has enabled its in-house team of experts to provide travelers with guidance on:

  • The average price for the route: this ensures when considering a flight, you know if you’re getting a good deal
  • The cheapest day to fly & the most expensive day to fly on the selected route, based on traditionally popular days – right down to the month level
  • The best time to book based on historical average pricing, optimum booking timing can be forecast

Skyscanner's recent Travel Trends research revealed that consumers plan to still travel as much if not more in 2023***, but crucially will be looking to source the best value possible from their 2023 trips. The best way to guarantee a good price is to compare your options across operators, dates and destinations. Use Skyscanner’s travel savvy tools including calendar view, Everywhere & Anytime search, nearby airports, mix and match airlines, as well as price alerts, all available at skyscanner.com.sa

Examples of savings available for bookings made right now on skyscanner.com.sa:

Route

Departure month

Best time to book

Live flight price

Average return flight price (SAR)

Jeddah to Dubai

Travel in March

Book 24 weeks in advance for best price

920

1036

Jeddah to Bangkok

Travel in July

Book 24 weeks in advance for best price

2943

3315

Jeddah to Casablanca

Travel in August

Book 44 weeks in advance for best price

1879

2880

Riyadh to London

Travel in December

Book 28 weeks in advance for best price

1335

3481

-Ends-

How does Skyscanner calculate the savings shown on the Savings Generator?

Skyscanner has analysed tens of thousands of booking data points from 2022, drawn from 10 origin countries to their top 15 destinations, looking at metrics such as average seat price, best and worst days to travel and the associated cost and the best time to book. The data used includes:   

  • Average seat price 
  • Best time to book 
  • Best time to book saving (average price minus best time to book price) 
  • Cheapest day of the week to travel 
  • Cheapest day of week saving (most expensive - cheapest day) 
  • Alternative destination (suggested best value alternative destination) 
  • Alternative destination average flight price 
  • Alternative destination cheapest day of the week 
  • Cheapest destination 

More information on the data sets and methodology is available on request.  

Skyscanner’s Savings Generator is currently testing across 10 countries, not a core part of skyscanner.com.sa , feedback welcomed.
*Skyscanner seeing bookings up 19% globally compared to pre-pandemic, first week of January 2019 compared to first week of January 2023

 **Skyscanner Travel Trends 2023 Report: The year of price-driven decisions 
*** 89% of travellers in Saudi Arabia planning to spend the same if not more on travel abroad this year, November 2022

For further pro tips and travel hacks, visit Skyscanner’s Travel Hacks Hub 

About Skyscanner 

Founded in 2003, Skyscanner is a leading travel marketplace dedicated to putting travellers first. Skyscanner helps millions of people in 52 countries and over 30 languages find the best travel options for flights, hotels and car hire every month. Skyscanner is available on desktop, mobile web and its highly rated app has 110 million downloads. Working with 1200 travel partners, Skyscanner's mission is to lead the global transformation to modern and sustainable travel. 

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