Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), in collaboration with Expedia Group today released its fifth annual comprehensive study of worldwide air travel trends: 2019 Travel Pricing Outlook. Analyzing data from ARC's global database of over 2 billion flight segments, ARC and Expedia Group analyzed air ticket purchase trends for the world's most popular domestic and international routes. This year's report also includes money-saving strategies for booking hotels.

The study's key finding indicates that purchase timing and trip longevity can influence the cost of an air ticket or hotel room. The research also suggests that common beliefs about ticket cost vs. route structure may not be true in all cases and that travelers should consider other factors like travel stress and schedules before booking. Some significant study findings suggest that:

  1. Booking flights three weeks in advance, on the weekend — particularly Sunday — and beginning travel on a Thursday or Friday have the lowest average ticket prices.
  2. Direct flights are not always more expensive. Lots of factors come into play when airlines set fares, so the time to connect and other convenience factors need to be considered.
  3. Extending a mid-week trip to include a Saturday night stay can save up to 25 percent on airfares, and sometimes more for popular business destinations.
  4. It pays to choose carefully when considering purchasing a basic economy airline ticket. While travelers may initially save money by booking basic economy, adding ancillaries such as advanced seat selection or checked bags can often result in a ticket cost that exceeds an economy fare.
  5. Booking hotel rooms on Friday provides the best chance for the lowest average daily rate.

The complete study is available free online here.

Chuck Thackston, managing director of data science at ARC says that for around three-quarters of trips, quantifiable savings can be realized by travelers who extend their weekday trip to include a Saturday night stay. "The savings opportunities by extending mid-week travel over a weekend is a new and valuable finding for travelers. The industry has talked about 'bleisure' travel for a while, and we have been able to quantify the real savings for travelers around this concept. It's something that people who love to travel should start to incorporate into their plans," said Thackston.

The report also analyzed influences on airfare pricing to help inform the decisions that keep travelers awake at night. Greg Schulze, Expedia Group's senior vice president, commercial strategy and services explained that many people find it incredibly difficult and time-consuming to make travel decisions: "Research tells us that travelers often make up to 50 searches before deciding on a flight. Our analysis of more than 50 billion flight searches can help all travelers in the hunt for the right flight at the right price," Schulze said.

About ARC:

An industry leader in air travel distribution and intelligence, ARC settled $94.8 billion in ticket transactions in 2018 between airlines and travel agencies, representing more than 295 million passenger trips. ARC provides flexible distribution solutions, innovative technology and access to the world's most comprehensive air ticket transaction data, helping the global air travel community connect, grow and thrive. For more information, please visit www.arccorp.com.

About Expedia Group

Expedia Group, Inc. companies power travel for everyone, everywhere through our global platform. Driven by the core belief that travel is a force for good, we help people experience the world in new ways and build lasting connections. We provide industry-leading technology solutions to fuel partner growth and success, while facilitating memorable experiences for travelers. Our organization is made up of three pillars: Expedia Product & Technology, focused on the group's product and technical strategy and offerings; Expedia Brands, housing all our consumer brands; and Expedia for Business, consisting of business-to-business solutions and relationships throughout the travel ecosystem. The Expedia Group family of brands includes Expedia®, Hotels.com®, Expedia® Partner Solutions, Vrbo®, trivago®, Orbitz®, Travelocity®, Hotwire®, Wotif®, ebookers®, CheapTickets®, Expedia Group™ Media Solutions, CarRentals.com™, and Expedia Cruises™.

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