Cheap flights: This formula could save you hundreds of dollars

IT’S no secret booking your flights in advance can help you save, but now there’s a formula to get the timing right for the cheapest possible flights. 

The right timing can help you save almost $500 on average on a flight to the US.

And the right timing to book a flight to the US, according to the number crunchers at Skyscanner, is 28 weeks in advance.

The flight search site analysed more than 250 million flight prices from the past three years to come up with ideal booking times.

If a mid year trip to Thailand or Japan is on the cards, the time to book is now; flights are best booked 20 and 21 weeks in advance.

Booking ages in advance isn’t always the smartest approach. For flights to New Zealand, the best time for the cheapest deal is a relatively last-minute six weeks.

Skyscanner’s analysis found domestic flights are best booked with plenty of notice — to get the cheapest flight to Perth you need to book 15 weeks in advance from Melbourne and 12 weeks from Sydney.

Overall, the cheapest time to fly is in November. The dearest month, unsurprisingly, is December.

BEST TIME TO BOOK FLIGHTS FROM AUSTRALIA — AND AVERAGE SAVINGS 

New Zealand  6 weeks  save $37 (6%)

Malaysia 10 weeks  save $65 (8%)

Singapore 11 weeks save $82 (9%)

Indonesia 12 weeks save $42 (6%)

UK 15 weeks save $119 (5%)

India 18 weeks save $104 (8%)

Thailand 20 weeks save $51 (5%)

Japan 21 weeks save $166 (12%)

US 28 weeks save $465 (23%)

China 30 weeks save $231 (18%)

Overall average cheapest time to book flights 17 weeks in advance

BEST TIME TO BOOK AUSTRALIAN DOMESTIC FLIGHTS

Gold Coast Melbourne 20 weeks

Perth Sydney 12 weeks

Perth Melbourne 15 weeks

Brisbane Sydney 11 weeks

Brisbane Melbourne 5 weeks

Melbourne Sydney 4 weeks

Prices indicated are actual fares paid by travelers when flight fares were the cheapest and the percentage savings indicated are compared to the average price paid for the route over the past three years.