NEED TO KNOW: When to book a flight

If you want the cheapest flight, go for a Tuesday and book 53 days in advance

Want to save cash on flights? So booking your ticket at least 53 days beforehand, and go for a Tuesday, according to global travel statistics from momondo. By analysing 7.5 billion airfares worldwide, the website found that by booking travel this early bagged, on average, 29 percent off the cost of the flight.

No-fly Friday

However, the most expensive tickets are to be found three days before departure, with Friday the priciest day of the week. Tuesday comes out on top as the cheapest day to fly.

Sun-down savings

According to the travel site, time of the day is also important to consider when booking. momondo’s global travel statistics showed it is normally cheaper to fly in the evening, between 18:00 and midnight.

Golden rules

“We would always advise travellers to remember these golden rules, to bag the cheapest ticket,” says Lasse Skole Hansen at momondo. “In general, it pays to book flights two months in advance. We found these trends consistent across the board, so bargain hunters should consider flying at night and on a Tuesday, if they want to save money on their travels.”

New York: cheapest on a Tuesday

Fancy a weekend in Manhattan? Forget it. “According to our travel statistics, London-New York is by far the most popular UK flight route,” says Skole Hansen. “By using our tool Flight Insight, travellers can assess the best day of week, time of day and season, in which to travel. If travellers wish to get the greatest savings on travel to New York, our data indicates that Wednesday is the cheapest day, but that you actually have to book the ticket just 18 days in advance on this particular route, to score the cheapest ticket,” says Skole Hansen.

Popular routes

The momondo data also revealed that the five most popular routes out of London are, in descending order of popularity, New York, Bangkok, Lisbon, Istanbul and Dubai.