Aussie jetsetters are set to save both time and money when searching for their next getaway following the release of the first Cheapflights Compass, a new annual research piece that reveals the most affordable destinations across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.
According to the findings, collated from insights across almost 649,000 searches on
Cheapflights.com.au in January 2016, 70 per cent of all flight searches were to APAC destinations, with users spending more than 54,000 hours collectively in one month – the equivalent of around six years – following their wanderlust.
While the most popular search options spanned New Zealand, India, Philippines, China and Sri Lanka, the results uncovered strong potential for savings to the most affordable airports, helping streamline bargain hunters’ quest for the best deals. Based on the national average for return fares, the top value airports include Indonesia, Thailand, Fiji, Malaysia and Singapore.
By choosing Singapore (one of the cheapest) over Manila (one of the most popular), consumers could save around $268 ex Perth, $263 ex Melbourne, $205 ex Darwin, $167 ex Sydney. Selecting Kuala Lumpur for business or adventure, over Shanghai (one of the most searched destinations), could deliver savings of $228 ex Brisbane, $241 ex Adelaide, $179 ex Melbourne and $149 ex Sydney, per fare.
Andrew Shelton, Managing Director of Cheapflights, said, “Geography will always play a role in the price of fares, but increasing airline competition, the opening up of new routes, smarter search technology and a hunger for adventure are all creating excellent conditions for value seekers.
“Travel hacks like clearing your browser history between search sessions to avoid price hikes, booking on a Tuesday and choosing evening fares are also providing easy wins for Aussies.”
The Cheapflights Compass state-by-state affordability breakdown also showed:
* Aussies’ love affair with Bali is backed by its supreme affordability, with the airport ranked #1 most affordable across every state bar Brisbane (where it ranked #2)
* Up and coming Singapore trumped popular Bangkok, ranking #2 for departures from Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, #3 for Darwin and #5 from Brisbane
* Malaysian airports performed strongly with Kuala Lumpur beating out the likes of Nadi, Bangkok and Manila to rank #3 from Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, #4 from Darwin and Perth, and #6 from Melbourne
* Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei featured as #14 most affordable airport for Melbournians
* Myanmar’s Yangon emerged across the board as highly affordable option, well ahead of more traditional ‘off the beaten track’ destinations like Cambodia
“Getting the ultimate deal requires balance across affordable airport, departure day and booking timing, so savvy Aussies will do their homework. This research provides an inspiration point, uncovering hidden gems that will allow locals to expand their horizons, but not their wallets,” said Shelton.
Additional key findings include:
* While most Aussies seek to fly out on Thursday or Friday, by departing on Wednesday instead of Friday, consumers could save $25 per fare on average
* Booking two to six months in advance rather than one to two months ahead ultimately only delivers around $22 in savings per fare
* Darwinians are the most likely to choose APAC travel (49 per cent), followed by those in Perth (44 per cent) and Melbourne (42 per cent)
* Darwin and Adelaide are home to the top domestic travellers, with 35 and 34 per cent searching internal flights compared with just 21 per cent for Melbournians and 19 per cent for Sydneysiders
* Melbourne is Australia’s most affordable domestic flight destination, based on a national average, closely followed by Sydney. It also wins on price when it comes to most affordable departure point for a Trans-Tasman trip at just $429 return compared with $860 for those in Darwin or Perth
* With geography in their favour, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne locals are the most likely to cross the Tasman (10, 9, 8 per cent respectively)
NOTES TO EDITORS:
* The
Cheapflights Compass is a research series from Cheapflights, a global flight comparison and deals publishing platform. It taps into search, price and travel trends to uncover insights that help consumers make informed, savvy holiday decisions. The first
Cheapflights Compass explored the most popular destinations, search trends and the most affordable airports based on the average round-trip airfares for international flights within the APAC region (excluding neighbouring New Zealand) from key airports nationwide. The insights are based on information gathered from 648,920 searches via
Cheapflights.com.au from 1-31 January.
* Key airlines have suspended flights to Port Vila, Vanuatu, due to runway maintenance concerns. For the latest information, contact your preferred airline partner.
*A summary of the most affordable APAC airports, with an average fare based on departure point is available.
CHEAPFLIGHTS – www.cheapflights.com.au
Founded in 1996 and launched in Australia and New Zealand in 2009, Cheapflights is a leading global flight comparison and deals publishing platform dedicated to taking the complexity out of finding the best value flights through the application of innovative, intuitive technologies: Smart search. Made simple. It is now a market leader in the UK, US, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand generating over AU $4 billion (£2 billion) in global downstream revenue for its partners as it expands in to numerous other territories. Over 120 million users visit its websites and apps each year, receiving more than two billion search results a month from across 900,000 routes. The 10 million strong opt-in subscribers to the Cheapflights newsletter received over 1.25 billion targeted emails during 2015, offering the best deals from over 120 travel businesses – for whom it has driven more than AU $80 million (£40 million) in revenue this year. Together, the Cheapflights platforms generate enough bookings for its partners to fill a Boeing 747 every five minutes.
In 2011, Cheapflights became part of the privately-‐owned online travel search and inspiration network, Momondo Group.
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